[Intro] (flat, matter-of-fact) Count the ships, count the men Read the flaw, not the end [Verse 1] (steady, analytical) A hundred souls, three small ships A council waiting on London's lips No law of their own to stand upon Just an outpost, waiting for the dawn [Chorus] (building, declarative) A garrison, not a civilization Supply lines are its only foundation Cut the ships, and it all runs dry No garrison learns to stand, or why [Verse 2] (building) Two winters came, the stores ran thin Desperate hands, no law within Not the ground, not the men who tried The charter itself was the reason why [Chorus] (building, declarative) A garrison, not a civilization Supply lines are its only foundation Cut the ships, and it all runs dry No garrison learns to stand, or why [Instrumental Break — signature moment] (a tight, mechanical string ostinato builds like a countdown, tightening and speeding almost imperceptibly, then breaks off sharply) [Verse 3] (rising, forward-looking) Not retreat, but redesign A prototype, right on time Three years on, the frame comes back Built to hold what the first one lacked [Final Chorus] (fullest, resolute) A garrison, not a civilization Lesson learned becomes foundation The first one fell so the next could stand A blueprint tested by the architect's hand [Outro] (declarative, forward-looking) The next one stands The next one stands [Instrumental Finale — signature moment] (a tight, mechanical string ostinato builds like a countdown, tightening and speeding almost imperceptibly, then breaks off sharply)
