The Bell of the Iron Sea

[Intro]
At the edge of the iron sea
A bell wakes under the stone

[Verse 1]
Mara keeps the harbor keys
In a coat of salt and rain
Every night she counts the ships
That never came again
Her brother left at seventeen
With a map against his chest
Now the tide has brought his compass home
And nothing else to rest

[Pre-Chorus]
She lifts it to the moonless sky
A needle turns, then breaks
From beneath the old cathedral
A buried engine wakes

[Chorus]
Open the gates, let the black tide in
I have a name you buried beneath your sin
If the whole wide kingdom must answer tonight
Then strike the bell and bring the lost to light

[Verse 2]
The king descends in silver mail
With ashes on his hands
He says the sea obeys no law
And grief obeys commands
But Mara sets the compass down
Upon the council stone
The needle points beneath his throne
Where the missing years were sewn

[Pre-Chorus]
The floor gives way, the walls confess
The choir finds its breath
Every ship was chained below
To feed the crown with death

[Chorus]
Open the gates, let the black tide in
I have a name you buried beneath your sin
If the whole wide kingdom must answer tonight
Then strike the bell and bring the lost to light

[Bridge]
[King]
I built a wall against the water
I paid the price in borrowed sons

[Mara]
You cannot call a cage a harbor
Or call the stolen years undone

[Ensemble]
The bell is turning, stone is burning
Every sealed-up door swings wide

[Final Chorus]
Open the gates, let the true tide in
We are the names you buried beneath your sin
Let every harbor answer tonight
Strike the bell—we bring them home to light

[Outro]
At the edge of the iron sea
The dawn finds every door unchained