The Gears Within

[Verse 1]
The old bus coughed black smoke, just like it used to do,
Pulled up to the square, where the memories grew.
Ten years on the road, felt every bump and grind,
Left a different man back then, a different heart and mind.
The same gray concrete buildings, lined up stiff and proud,
Against the endless taiga, veiled in a winter shroud.

[Chorus]
This town's still turning, slow and steady gears,
Just like I left it, ten long, shifting years.
The only thing that's different, standing here today,
Is the man who walked away.

[Verse 2]
Kama River still flows, a ribbon cold and deep,
Past the steel mill stacks where all the old dreams sleep.
Saw old Ivan on the corner, with his heavy coat and grin,
He said, 'Daniil, you're back, where have you been?'
The factory whistle's blowing, same old mournful sound,
The scent of pine and metal, heavy on the ground.

[Chorus]
This town's still turning, slow and steady gears,
Just like I left it, ten long, shifting years.
The only thing that's different, standing here today,
Is the man who walked away.

[Bridge]
Through years of smoke and frost, I learned to forge my way,
Every piston pump, every dawning day.
The old world tried to grind me, twist me out of line,
But I came back stronger, this spirit, truly mine.

[Outro]
The only thing that's different, yeah,
Is the man who walked away.