This Flame Won't Burn Alone

[Intro: Swelling Hammond organ, distant choir hums, gentle tambourine shake]

[Verse 1]
Candles lined in rows on Grandma’s oak
One still wrapped in tissue, never lit before
I ask why it’s saved—she wipes her eyes and nods
“Your granddad picked it out the year his hands grew weak”

[Verse 2]
Uncle tunes the upright by the window seat
Plays that old carol we all pretend to know
Auntie sways with baby on her hip
Humming harmony like she’s done since nineteen-sixty-three

[Chorus]
OH, THIS FLAME WON’T BURN ALONE!
IT CALLS THE ONES WHO’VE GONE AHEAD HOME!
Hands on shoulders, voices rising through the pine-scented air
Grace isn’t spoken—it’s sung right here!

[Inst: Hammond organ solo, choir pads swelling beneath, steady gospel groove]

[Verse 3]
I strike the match—the wax begins to weep
And suddenly the room is full of him again
Not in pictures, not in words, but in the way
My cousin starts the next verse just like he would

[Chorus]
OH, THIS FLAME WON’T BURN ALONE!
IT CALLS THE ONES WHO’VE GONE AHEAD HOME!
Hands on shoulders, voices rising through the pine-scented air
Grace isn’t spoken—it’s sung right here!

[Bridge: Choir takes lead, organ stabs, tempo lifts slightly]
(backup vocals)
Hallelujah for the empty chair that’s filled with song!
Hallelujah for the love that lingers long!

[Chorus]
OH, THIS FLAME WON’T BURN ALONE!
IT CALLS THE ONES WHO’VE GONE AHEAD HOME!
Hands on shoulders, voices rising through the pine-scented air
Grace isn’t spoken—it’s sung right here!

[Outro: Full choir sustains final chord, organ fades slowly, tambourine shimmer]
(whispered, layered)
Sing it again…
sing it again…