Miranda Lambert's "Keeper of the Flame" is as introspective of a song as you'll find on country radio, assuming country radio picks it up.

That's no sure thing — the mainstream keeps songs it can't easily relate to at a distance, and few know what it's like to be a celebrated singer-songwriter in 2018. Lambert has admitted she gives little thought to what a single should and shouldn't sound like, instead releasing her best available songs. "Keeper of the Flame" is a great song, but it's an atypical single.

The Lambert co-written folk melody from The Weight of These Wings finds the singer recognizing that she has a place at the table with historically great country songwriters. She's right, and there's nothing offensive about her admitting that she's no longer an outsider. She's just next in line, a single pen in an eternal relay.

Humility is the dominant feeling one hears while enjoying the soft, unassuming country whisper. A heavy rhythm section adds punch, but for the most part "The Keeper of the Flame" will be enjoyed (or not) on the strength of its cohesive, focused and precise lyrical message.

Did You Know?: Lambert has been writing with a new album in mind for over a year, although it's not clear what will come first: her next solo album or a Pistol Annies project.

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Miranda Lambert's "Keeper of the Flame" Lyrics:

I'm walking in their footsteps / I'm singing their old songs / Somebody blazed this trail / I'm treadin' on / I'm bent, but I'm not broken / I'm stronger than I feel / I'm made of flesh and bone / Not made of steel.

Chorus:
I’m the keeper of the flame / The teller of the story / Keeper of the flame / For the ones that came before me / For the little pilot lights waiting to ignite / Like fireflies in the rain / Keeper of the flame.

I've been burned out to ashes / Waiting for a wind / To carry me and start a fire again / Sometimes I'm just a flicker / A candle in your eye / But I swear to God / I'll never let it die.

When I'm drowning / When I'm fighting / When I'm screaming / When I'm hiding / When I'm losing / When I'm winning / I go back to / The beginning.

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