[Intro] [Cathedral choir] Raise the pennant, wake the stone Call the scattered banners home [Verse 1] At dawn the smiths fed sparks to iron By noon the watchtowers rang A red-cross cloth above the gate A vow in every hand The river carried winter mist Past fields of barley gold We rode beneath the castle wall Where old oaths still held bold [Pre-Chorus] Brother, take the northern road Sister, guard the flame When the drum rolls over frozen ground Remember why we came [Chorus] Stand, defenders of the crown Let no iron bring us down From the chapel bell to the mountain pass Our names will outlast kings Stand, with thunder in our blood Hold the bridge against the flood Though the years may turn the banners brown The vow is everything [Verse 2] The moon found helmets in the grass And arrows in the wheat A lantern swung from saddle horns As wounded men withdrew The healer stitched beneath the keep The cook poured wine and bread While pages read the battle roll For every fallen friend [Pre-Chorus] Mother, leave the western light Father, bar the door If the horn sounds past the midnight bell We ride once more [Chorus] Stand, defenders of the crown Let no iron bring us down From the chapel bell to the mountain pass Our names will outlast kings Stand, with thunder in our blood Hold the bridge against the flood Though the years may turn the banners brown The vow is everything [Bridge] [Choir] Oath by oak and oath by stone No brave heart stands alone [Lead guitar solo] [Breakdown] When the black clouds cross the valley When the gate begins to shake One voice becomes a hundred One hundred hearts awake [Final Chorus] Stand, defenders of the crown Let no iron bring us down From the chapel bell to the mountain pass Our names will outlast kings Stand, with thunder in our blood Hold the bridge against the flood Though the years may turn the banners brown The vow is everything [Outro] [Cathedral choir] Raise the pennant, wake the stone No brave heart stands alone The road is long, the fires burn We guard the dawn till all return
