Lyrics
Verse 1We stacked the timber, ring by ring,
Around the shaft where fire begins.
We sealed it under moss and clay,
Then lit its heart at close of day.
Verse 2The smoke speaks first in blue and grey,
And tells us where the embers stray.
We close the vents, we pierce the side,
And hold the hungry heat inside.
ChorusBurn low, burn slow beneath the clay,
Keep every living flame at bay.
The smoke runs blue, the smoke runs white,
We read its colour through the night.
While distant homes lie warm in bed,
We walk the ring where heat is fed.
And iron wakes at dawn again
From the fires of the charcoal men.
Verse 3No church bell reaches us at night,
No window throws a human light.
We sleep in scraps, then wake at sound
When hollow thunder shakes the mound.
Verse 4The furnace masters count the load,
The wagons groan along the road.
But none will count the nights we gave
To tend a fire beneath its grave.
ChorusBurn low, burn slow beneath the clay,
Keep every living flame at bay.
The smoke runs blue, the smoke runs white,
We read its colour through the night.
While distant homes lie warm in bed,
We walk the ring where heat is fed.
And iron wakes at dawn again
From the fires of the charcoal men.
BridgeThe mound can sink, the crust can tear,
And feed the hidden fire with air.
Then flame will climb from seam to crown,
And weeks of work come burning down.
So shovel earth and stamp it tight,
Then walk the ring another night.
At dawn the pines emerge from rain,
We turn and walk the ring again.
ChorusBurn low, burn slow beneath the clay,
Keep every living flame at bay.
The smoke runs blue, the smoke runs white,
We read its colour through the night.
Though soot has marked our hands and skin,
The distant furnaces begin.
And iron wakes at dawn again
From the fires of the charcoal men.
OutroAt last the mound lies cold and still,
Black harvest waits beneath the hill.
The wagons leave, the night remains,
The forest will not speak our names.