[Intro] [Deep room hum, dripping water, tanpura drone; a slow tabla pulse; one low guitar chord stab with feedback; distant reversed whispers] [Verse 1] [High priest: arrogant, haughty, boastful, slow and smug, savoring every word, sneering baritone] Lugal-me-en. En-me-en. Sag-gal-me-en. Dingir-e-ne igi-mu-še gub-ba. Uru-mu, e-mu, ki-mu, an-mu. Za-e? Za-e nu-me-en. [Response] [Female: frightened, trembling whisper, on the edge of tears, breath catching, tiny] …en… en… nu… nu… (sobbing breath) …ga-ba… nu… ga-ba… [Chorus] [Priest, louder, contemptuous, laughing at her, the guitar stabbing after every line, oud and ney under him] LUGAL-ME-EN! Za-e — sig! LUGAL-ME-EN! Za-e — lil! Igi-mu-ta gen-na, ki-ta gen-na! LUGAL-ME-EN — za-e nu! [Verse 2] [Priest, swaggering, slower, crueler, every word a step closer to her] Ni-zu ga-ba. Zi-zu ga-ba. Ka-zu mu-un-dab, igi-zu mu-un-dab. Lu-lu gu-mu-de: lugal, lugal! Za-e gu-de? Za-e — nu. [Response] [Female: crying now, whispering through tears, pleading, hissing only at the very end, quiet] …lugal… lugal… (crying) …nu ga-ba… nu ga-ba… en… …za-e… (a tiny hiss) …ba-uš… [Break] [Everything drops to the hum and the water; only the woman's breathing, shaking; then the priest, calm, one word] [Priest, quiet, satisfied] Gen-na. [Chorus] [Priest at full arrogance, the guitar feedback screaming, tabla doubled, the woman's sobbing under him, far away] LUGAL-ME-EN! Za-e — sig! LUGAL-ME-EN! Za-e — lil! Igi-mu-ta gen-na, ki-ta gen-na! LUGAL-ME-EN — za-e nu! [Outro] [The priest's steps leave; the drone stays; the woman alone, whispering, and the last word is not tears] …lugal… lugal… …ba-uš.
