(spoken, soft, steady) They needed a villain.
But when the fire spread… someone still had to stay behind and protect what was left.
[Verse 1] I walked the same halls beneath stained-glass light I heard the same rehearsed forgiving prayers I saw the fear disguised as holy wisdom I saw the silence hiding everywhere
And yes, there were wolves behind the curtains Yes, there were hands that never should’ve led But not every soul inside the ruins Deserved to burn for what the guilty did
[Pre-Chorus] Because when trust is gone The flames rise fast And anger feels righteous When tied to the past But vengeance has a way Of turning pain into another mask
[Chorus] Protector They’re calling me protector Because I refused to give up on us yet Protector They’re calling me protector Because I still believe the broken can heal You saw the wolves beneath the white And turned your grief into a fight But someone has to hold the line Before there’s nothing left to save
Protector Go on then Call me protector
[Verse 2] I know the damage hidden inside reverence I know how shame can hollow out a soul I know the fear of standing in the open After betrayal takes control
But every child afraid of tomorrow Still deserves a chance to see the sun And every wounded person taught to hate themselves Still deserves to become someone
[Pre-Chorus 2] Because truth without compassion Can become destruction And justice without mercy Can become another form of corruption
[Chorus 2] Protector They’re calling me protector Because I won’t surrender hope to fear Protector They’re calling me protector Because I still think love surviving matters here You tore the masks from all the lies You screamed until the heavens cracked But if we burn the world to punish monsters Who rebuilds after that?
Protector Maybe that’s what makes us different
[Bridge — piano and voice only] I know why you became the storm
I know what silence did to you What betrayal did to you What those men turned you into
I know
But surviving darkness Doesn’t mean becoming darkness is the only way to survive
And maybe nobody protected you
So now you mistake destruction for strength
[break]
[Final Chorus — full orchestra + choir, key lift] Protector I will stand between the fire and the fragile Protector I will fight for what still can be healed Yes the truth must still be spoken Yes the guilty must be known But I refuse to let the wounded world Become a graveyard Built from pain alone
Protector Call me naïve Call me weak Call me foolish
But while you became the weapon
I became the shield
(spoken, piano only) They needed a villain.
I chose to protect the people the fire would’ve consumed.