oh, when I was young
before the war was won
I haunted the metal, the hollow machine
oh, the mighty guns

over the battle lines
I heard the rumor rise
I held to the iron with smoke in my lungs
oh, the raging tide

oh, and I could feel the pull
down to the sleep below
’cause there ain’t no rest in the fight or the silence
oh, the crushing blow

even so, did hope find a way in the fear
and pulled me through the very heart of the deep
and freedom’s song, sweet upon the waves
a hallelujah reaching us where we break