[Intro – whispered / cinematic, clean guitar with dub echo] Smoke on the ridgeline, ash in the dawn A silhouette rider keeps marching on No name, no banner, no crown to claim Only the fire and a faceless flame Drums in the distance, camp in the vale Torches like halos in blood-orange pale He steps through the threshold, dust in his lungs And hears revolution on ten thousand tongues [Verse 1 – low, stalking groove] In the camp of the exiled, the hunted, the scarred Stood a lion-eyed prophet with a staff and a guard Locks like a storm cloud, eyes full of sun Voice like a bell saying, “The hour has come” Thousands assembled in the heat and the rain Women and children, the proud and the chained Our hero cried out, “Take up your steel Rise with me now, make the tyrants kneel” [Pre-Chorus – tension rising] But the elder just stared through the smoke and the dust Said, “A war without spirit is a war without trust If you would command us, then first understand The weight of the blood in the heart of this land” [Chorus – huge, melodic, anthemic] Raise up the shadow, raise up the sound Thunder and fire gonna shake the ground From the camp to the gates, let the warning ring No broken people bow to a king Stand in the furnace, stand in the flame Only the worthy can carry the name When the lion says fight, all the heavens begin But first spill your fear if you want us to win [Verse 2 – reggae-metal infusion, offbeat guitars / heavy bass] The Rastafari spoke with a calm like steel “Boy, every scar here was earned and real You ask for an army, you ask for my hand Then face my general and stand where you stand No blade, no rifle, no army behind Just bone against bone and your will against mine Defeat him in combat, and I will unleash The wrath of the many like storms from the deep” The crowd moved back in a circle of flame Our hero stepped forward, no mask, no shame The general entered, a mountain of dread With a storm in his fists and the dead in his tread [Pre-Chorus 2 – bigger, darker] Skin split open, the air turned gold The camp went silent, the night turned cold The elder cried, “Show us the truth you bring Not with your mouth, but the weight of your swing” [Chorus – with gang vocals] Raise up the shadow, raise up the sound Thunder and fire gonna shake the ground From the camp to the gates, let the warning ring No broken people bow to a king Stand in the furnace, stand in the flame Only the worthy can carry the name When the lion says fight, all the heavens begin But first spill your fear if you want us to win [Bridge – cinematic / spoken-sung] Hand to hand in the dust of the camp Breath like smoke, heartbeat like amps Flesh and thunder, rib and jaw The law of the rebel, the oldest law He fell to one knee— rose back with a roar Took all the grief that he ever wore Turned it to iron, turned it to light Drove through the dark and swallowed the night [Breakdown – brutal, halftime] Bow. Down. Feel the ground split under the sound Lock. Jaw. Blood in the dirt, but he will not crawl Stand. Fast. Every ghost in his chest comes back Strike. Now. The giant falls and the camp screams loud [Post-Breakdown – chanted / choir] Lion! Lion! Open the gate! Lion! Lion! Seal their fate! Lion! Lion! Thousands rise! Fire reflected in their eyes! [Final Chorus – biggest section, key lift feel] Raise up the shadow, raise up the sound Now the rebellion is heaven-bound From the camp to the walls, hear the warning sing The lost have returned, and they fear no king March through the embers, baptized in flame Now all the faithful are one in name When the lion says fight, let the earth begin Ten thousand strong and the dark caves in [Outro – half clean, half screamed] The Rastafari lifted his hand to the sky Said, “Now you are proven, now let empire die” And the silhouetted hero at the front of the storm Led a sea of the broken in terrible form [Clean]: Off through the valley, through fire, through rain— [Scream]: THOUSANDS OF VOICES! ONE HEART! ONE NAME! [Clean]: The camp became thunder, the meek became flame— Scream: AND THE NIGHT WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME!
