The Lost City

An antique land, a cursed land sinking Away into the crushing depths An antique land, a cursed land falling Away soon to be lost to the living Who will hear the words from my dying lips? Who will heed my stories of this ancient place? Glance with scorn on the folly Breathe in dust and ash Stories of this wretched grave Wrought of ruin from the cradle of life Stories of this ancient kingdom "The hand that mocked them and the heart that fled" The island sinks in the darkness My cursed memory slips from Sight, we try to find it It's what's left that keeps us alive The air is sick with bloodlust, whither The two doors in the Earth lie open for me Trapped in days without sunlight Lost in starless nights I saw the pain in his eyes He's never looked so sick of this world The island sinks in the darkness My cursed memory slips from Sight, we try to find it It's what's left that keeps us alive

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

"And I will tell you again, there have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes.. the greatest have been brought about by fire and water" Step into the light, the dawning of time where an ancient has fallen An ancient has fallen down, an ocean's grasp on man's demise So listen to me, there was and will be many destructions Many destructions of everything you know as real When the Earth was young And knew nothing of fear and the days to come

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

Devouring the world whole And it might leave all of this behind I was too young to know the difference I was too old to even care if it was evil or freedom With iron fists and silvern lips Clay feet and a stomach of gold Beneath the shadow of the mountain Lies a monument to all mankind Grey King, waste away Twisted grip on a rule that will not stay Grey King, withering End your reign, end your reign, end your reign A selfsame sadness, a lost lust for life This power, now madness has taken his mind A heart like fire, a face like stone A mind of water and an iron soul He folds his arms, waits so patiently For the days to pass, yet he wants them back The sun sets on a day that's lasted a thousand years A thousand years, but they're gone He paints his smile on, but it dries and it cracks He loses light waiting for days to pass Wishing that they'd pass him by Praying that they slow down He paints his smile, but it's dry and it cracks He loses light waiting for days to pass Wishing that they would just pass him by Praying that they slow down Grey King, waste away Twisted grip on a rule that will not stay Grey King, withering End your reign, end your reign, end your reign Grey King, waste away Twisted grip on a rule that will not stay Grey King You're whiling away I was too young to know the difference I was too old to even care I was too young to know the difference I was too old to even care

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

Death has come to take you home Barbaric things are all these trees have known The forest aches in his wake His stench still lingers on the breeze Worth it, is it worth it? You know that you can't go home, you cannot go A troubled brow, a grey head Skies crashing in upon burning skies If these walls could speak they'd scream If these hills had eyes they'd bleed If these walls could speak they'd scream If these hills had eyes would bleed Take this fire Keep my dying flame, save my name Take this fire Burn the dark away, see the day Father, please forget about me 'Cause I'll always be lost and that's not worth remembering Mother, please forgive me my crimes And know that I've let you down one final time Show me your face, I won't let you take The phantom in Blackroot that's hiding from me The withered limb with ears for sweet lies That has poisoned the Family tree Take this fire Keep my dying flame, save my name Take this fire Burn the dark away, see the day Take comfort, take solace Take heart and home, they're yours to own Take this fire Burn the dark away, see the day Can't go back, you can't go home Can’t go back, you can’t go home Take comfort, take solace Take heart and home, they're yours to own Take this fire Burn the dark away, see the day

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

I don't care what you said Have we lost ourselves? Was this personal? Liar, liar, I don't know you anymore Not sure where to turn from here Took my heart and then you disappeared But I only know what I know so I'll take what's left and make it whole Oh, the distances we'll go To do the things that hurt us the most The distances we'll go To do the things that hurt us the most I didn't want to come to this, I didn't want to become this I didn't want to come to this, I didn't, I didn't.. Seven years have passed, this farewell will be our last I can't go with you at all Seven years have passed, you know We're not made to last Slow down and see what time brings If I cared at all then you'd know it Desensitized from all the noise you dragged along But ours is a road paved in sorrow Few can bear it, few can bear it Seven years have passed, this farewell will be our last I can't go with you at all Seven years have passed, you know We're not made to last Slow down and see what time brings See what it brings, see what it brings I've never felt so far removed from you From you! Different days bring different pains To harm you in new, unimagined ways Through the days We've weathered and started to change, a new age Seven years have passed, this farewell will be our last I can't go with you at all Seven years have passed, you know We're not made to last Slow down and see what time brings See what it brings, see what it brings

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

Your sons are dead Killed by your own hand Your daughters have fled You drove them from the land Shame to you, a plague on you You’re nothing but bones and air Shame to you, a plague on you You stacked your fire with the bones of your dead For a thousand years may your eyes never find rest May the rest of your days be spent running from the past May you wander the earth as a nomad Nameless until the day you die Wear a smile that’s held open by an iron hook See shadows and traces of death everywhere you look Feel exhaustion in your core that you cannot sleep out And let shame, shame haunt you like the grave For a thousand years may your feet never find rest May your heart dismay and feel no peace as you grow older May you spend your every waking moment Looking over your shoulders I swear no sleep until you are dead No rest until I hold your head No sleep until you are dead No rest

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

Oh God, I wish That you would still my restless heart Or stop its beat from going on, on The light behind the life is gone Even my shadow has left me for dead 'Cause in the blackness of this night It comes alive, it comes alive Jumping at shadows, at shadows And I can't say they are my own I'm running from shadows They're the only ones who haven't left me alone If home is where they say the heart is Then I've never, never been close to home And if misery loves company Then how am I so alone? If home is where they say the heart is Then I've never, never been close to home And if misery loves company Then how am I so alone? I've never been home Never been close to you Screaming at the breeze Words you once spoke to me In the right place I hear whispers Calling back my name Oh death How I have missed your warm embrace If home is where they say the heart is Then I've never been close to home If misery loves its company Then how am I so alone? If home is where they say the heart is Then I've never, never been close to home And if misery loves company Then how am I so alone? If home is where they say the heart is Then I've never, never been close to home And if misery loves company Then how am I so alone?

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

I’d light myself on fire just to watch your kingdom burn I’ve suffered seven years and now it’s finally your turn I’ve been listening to sickly sweet voices Muse of self destruction and the art of killing the heart There’s a comfort in their torment, an addiction to their pain Cause we all have felt this illness But I’m not getting better Cause we all have felt this illness But I’m not getting better Cast your gaze on fields bloated by mottled blood of your people Feast your eyes on mutilated justice bred to malice-born tyranny Grasping at the wind Feeling life and the love that I knew slip away Burning at both ends There’s a world torn in two and now I cannot stay You are the serpent that eats its own tail Feast on your flesh Father like Romulus Descendants of fire Born from it, bred for it Brothers like sand and glass

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

I am not the man I once aspired to be But I live with that just like I live with everything A false smile to cover half my face from those who revel in righteousness And a shadow of myself to hide all of the rest The splits, the breaks, the tremors and shakes Grasp like a hand, they swallow the land Inscription hear me as the depths Are drawing near to me, they're all that I can see And when I held my breath and closed my eyes For a moment it felt like home The world is a smaller place than when I was young But I still can't seem to figure it out It makes less sense now than it did then somehow And my conscience has turned inside out My conscience has burned out But I love regression like I love myself On again and off again and at all of the worst times In again and out again like I've been left behind I can't be happy that it's over, just sorry that it ever happened Inscription hear me as the depths Are drawing near to me, they're all that I can see And when I held my breath and closed my eyes For a moment it felt like home, take me home This is farewell This is farewell My story may end here The road may disappear But all is not lost if we bear the cost But all is not lost if we bear the cost

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

Are you listening I’ll tell you one more time To stay away You made your way into my dreams last night And I thought of our past, the love, and lack thereof, the lies A ghost of me I haven’t been since you left to haunt another man I hoped it would never happen again And here I had just quit thinking of you And here your name was finally nothing more than a sigh on the breeze And having been here before you’d think I’d know something more than what I’m told and having seen this before you’d think I’m ready for something new And here I had just quit thinking of you And here your name was finally nothing more than a sigh on the breeze

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026

Please hear my words that they may not die with me Please hear my prayers when I ask this to end quickly Please save my inscription from the mouth of the deep Please let it give hope to the weak Leave this coast for brighter days my son Goodbye, I hope that fate smiles on you Farewell my son, may you find the truth With any luck you can leave this waste behind you May this parting be the last you see of our Lost City An antique land, a cursed land that I cannot leave An antique land, a cursed land, I cannot leave, let it be I’ve been searching my mind in every corner I know there’s no way out They told me I looked into the face of my enemy, the eye of the storm Restless, always restless, looking over my shoulder at things that have never been Drifting into the waves of the dark and burning sea The sky meets the earth and devours all my grief Drifting away Drifting away Farewell my son, may you find the truth With any luck you can leave this waste behind you May this parting be the last you see of our Lost City Drifting into the waves of the dark and burning sea The sky meets the earth and devours all my grief Drifting away It’s written, it’s written In the cracks of the earth Drifting away Stop wishing, stop wishing That these days pass you by Farewell my son, may you find the truth With any luck you can leave this waste behind you May this parting be the last you see of our Lost City I can see it written in the cracks of the earth The end of my life, end of my life So don’t lie awake wishing for better days They won’t come your way, they won’t ease the pain This is your life

Submitted by johnmansley — Feb 21, 2026