[Intro] Hear me, oh Muse of the wine-dark sea Sing of Odysseus, man of twists and turns Who sacked the towers of Troy And was driven ten long years from home By the gods' unyielding will This is the song of the hardest road [distorted guitar riff enters, double-kick drums] [Verse 1] From Troy's smoking ruins the black ships sailed To Ismarus fell, yet six men from every ship Lay dead before the morning light [Verse 2] Then the Lotus land where memory softens He dragged them weeping back to the oars No sweetness would steal the longing for home [Chorus] Sail on, sail on through the endless night King without a kingdom, warrior without rest The sea is wide and the gods are cruel But the heart of Odysseus will not break Home is calling across the deep Ithaca waits, though the years grow long [Bridge] [rapid guitar solo, sweep picking] In the cave of the one-eyed giant Companions were crushed like flies "Nobody's hurting me," the clever lie That bought them life, yet woke Poseidon's rage Aeolus gave the bag of winds Greedy hands untied it while he slept Eleven ships became black wrecks Only one hull remained [Chorus] Sail on, sail on through the endless night King without a kingdom, warrior without rest The sea is wide and the gods are cruel But the heart of Odysseus will not break Home is calling across the deep Ithaca waits, though the years grow long [Verse 3] Circe's island turned men to swine One year he lingered yet the longing remained She sent him down to the land of the dead To hear the blind seer's hard truth [Verse 4] Sirens sang of glory, he heard them bound to the mast Scylla took six more lives in a single breath The cattle of the sun were slain Zeus shattered the last ship Only Odysseus clung to the broken mast And washed ashore to Calypso's seven-year cage [Bridge 2] At last the Phaeacians carried him home in sleep Laid him gently on his native sand Yet the hardest trials awaited Suitors feasting in his hall The great bow that only he could string And the blood that would cleanse the house of kings [Chorus] Sail on, sail on through the endless night King returned to kingdom, warrior come to rest The sea was wide and the gods were cruel But the heart of Odysseus did not break Home has answered across the deep Ithaca holds him at last [Outro] So ends the song of the man of many turns The hardest road is the one that leads you home The gods may delay, the storms may rage But the will that will not yield Will see the harbor lights at last ----------------------------------------------------------- And more......
