[Instrumental: tagelharpa drone, low frame drum pulse] [Verse 1 - Male vocal, deep throat E2] We carry the ash of the fathers home Wrapped in wool, laid beneath the stone No tears fall loud, only silence speaks The fire is lit for the ones we seek [Chorus - Male vocal, joined by low male chant] [War drums enter, slow and heavy] Ashes to stone, breath to the wind Those who walked before us never end Carved in the mound, named in the flame We speak aloud each ancestor's name [Instrumental: cow horn, single long note] [Verse 2 - Male vocal, deep throat E2] The barrow is closed with a ring of grey stone Their weapons beside them, they walk on alone Not to the dark, but the hall beyond sight Where the old ones are waiting, keepers of light [Chorus - Male vocal + male chant, drums building] Ashes to stone, breath to the wind Those who walked before us never end Carved in the mound, named in the flame We speak aloud each ancestor's name [Bridge - Slavonic female choir enters, male vocal drops out] [Percussion thins to a single slow heartbeat pulse] Mother, father, sister, son Their names are stone, their work is done We are the branch, they are the root We are the voice, they are the flute [Final Chorus - Full ensemble: male lead, male chant, female choir together, war drums at full intensity] Ashes to stone, breath to the wind Those who walked before us never end Carved in the mound, named in the flame We speak aloud each ancestor's name [Outro - Instrumental: drums fade to silence, tagelharpa drone lingers alone, then fades]
