Buried machine

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[Verse 1]
I took the heat,
I took the fire,
I fed the waste
to the belly of the wire.
No plug, no grid,
no monthly fee,
just earth and wind,
just sun and me.
I built it strong,
I built it lean,
an exhaust-fed heart,
a sovereign machine.
The pressure ran,
the cycle turned,
the power came,
the old world burned.
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[Chorus]
I tried to free them,
I built the machine,
to break the chains,
to kill the need.
But the eyes turned cold,
the walls closed tight,
the land I claimed
slipped out of sight.
I tried to free them,
but they turned away —
so I buried the engine
to fight another day.
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[Verse 2]
I felt the shift,
the neighbors stared,
the calls came down,
the ground got scared.
The tools broke sharp,
the lights ran cold,
the whispers spread,
the air got sold.
I scattered parts,
I split the frame,
hid the pieces
without a name.
No one saw,
no maps were made,
just empty soil
and a quiet grave.
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[Chorus — repeat, stronger]
I tried to free them,
I built the machine,
to break the chains,
to kill the need.
But the eyes turned cold,
the walls closed tight,
the land I claimed
slipped out of sight.
I tried to free them,
but they turned away —
so I buried the engine
to fight another day.
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[Bridge — spoken or half-sung, low and fierce]
Heat, fire, exhaust and earth,
wind and sun,
waste to birth.
They can stop the hands,
they can stall the dream,
but they’ll never kill
the buried machine.
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[Final Chorus — full force, defiant, enduring]
I tried to free them,
I built the machine,
to break the chains,
to kill the need.
But the world turned cold,
the ground turned gray,
so I buried the engine
to rise another day.
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Rustic Bluegrass with Banjo, Fiddle, and Foot-Tapping Rhythm