LAGERTHA – SHIELD OF THE NORTH [Intro – cold wind, distant female Nordic voices] [Female whispers] They thought I would kneel… They thought I would break… [Deep drum hit] They were wrong. [Female Choir – distant] Lagertha… Lagertha… [Verse 1 – powerful female lead] I learned the language of the blade Before the crown, before the fame The frozen earth beneath my feet Taught me never to retreat No borrowed throne, no promised land I built my fate with my own hands Through broken vows and fields of flame I walked through fire and kept my name [Pre-Chorus – drums building] I have loved I have lost I have counted every cost But every scar upon my skin Reminds me where my strength begins [Chorus – huge female warrior choir] SHIELD OF THE NORTH! DAUGHTER OF STORMS! Let the iron sing Let the thunder come SHIELD OF THE NORTH! FEAR NO ONE! When the battle calls my name I will never run [Lagertha!] Shield of the North! [Instrumental – heavy guitars, Nordic strings, war drums] [Verse 2] I stood beside the ones I loved And watched them disappear in blood I buried pieces of my heart Then learned to carry every scar A woman isn’t made of stone But strength is standing on your own When everything you knew is gone And still you find the will to carry on [Pre-Chorus] I have bled I have cried I have watched my old world die But I will never bow my head While there is fire in me yet [Chorus – larger] SHIELD OF THE NORTH! DAUGHTER OF STORMS! Let the iron sing Let the thunder come SHIELD OF THE NORTH! FEAR NO ONE! When the battle calls my name I will never run [Lagertha!] Shield of the North! [Breakdown – heartbeat-like war drum] [Older female voice – spoken] Do not mistake kindness for weakness. Do not mistake love for surrender. And never mistake silence… for fear. [Drums enter] [Female Skald Rap – dark, rhythmic, confident] Never needed permission, never waited for a crown Every time they pushed me back, I came stronger from the ground Put a sword into my hand, I’ll decide which road I take You can bend a piece of iron, but there’s some you cannot break I was mother, I was lover, I was farmer, I was blade Every title that they gave me was a choice that I had made I have stood among the kings and looked them straight into the eyes Power isn’t in the throne — it’s getting up each time you die So remember every sister who was told to know her place Every daughter of the winter with the storm upon her face We don’t need another legend telling us what we can be If the door is locked before us… We don’t ask. We take the key. [Instrumental stop] [Female whisper] Now… come and take it from me. [Build – tribal drums and female chanting] [Female Choir] Shield! Shield! Shield! [Lead Vocal] I can hear the storm… [Choir] Shield! Shield! Shield! [Lead Vocal] Let it come. [Massive drum build] [Lagertha!] [Silence] [Female spoken vocal] I do not fear the storm. [Pause] I am the storm. [FINAL CHORUS – colossal female choir] SHIELD OF THE NORTH! DAUGHTER OF STORMS! LET THE IRON SING! LET THE THUNDER COME! SHIELD OF THE NORTH! FEAR NO ONE! When a thousand blades are drawn I will never run SHIELD OF THE NORTH! DAUGHTER OF STORMS! Let them hear our voices Beyond the setting sun SHIELD OF THE NORTH! [Lagertha!] FEAR NO ONE! [Final Instrumental – huge guitars, Nordic fiddle, war drums] [Female Warrior Choir] Oh-ah-oh! Oh-ah-oh! Shield of the North! Oh-ah-oh! Oh-ah-oh! We will never bow! [Outro – lone female voice] I have loved. I have lost. I have fought. And I remain. [Quiet female choir] Lagertha…
