[Orchestral Intro - majestic, gradual build] [Verse 1] Smoke lies low across the water Their guns flash white and disappear The deck keeps lifting under my boots The rolling sea throws our shots wide Too long we've traded fire at range Too long the sea has held us apart I watch their hull return through smoke And order Huáscar to close in [Pre-Chorus - building] Bring the bow around and hold her Drive the engines through the swell If the guns won't finish this Then I'll close the gap myself [Chorus - full band, driving] Close the distance, bring us in Let the iron find the wood Strike, pull clear, and turn again Finish what the guns could not Close the distance, hold her steady Let the smoke roll over us I can see her hull before me Drive our bow against her side [Extended Symphonic Instrumental] [Piano-led opening, orchestral development, virtuosic melodic climax] [Verse 2 - heavier] Iron crashes into timber The whole ship shudders underfoot We pull away through smoke and splinters Then turn the ship to close again The water narrows down between us Her hull is all I see ahead The last impact shakes the water And her deck sinks out of sight [Bridge - stripped back, close vocal, restrained drums] For a moment there is only smoke Then spars break through the gray Men cling to shattered timbers Voices carry from the wake “Lower the boats, bring them aboard” Ropes run free, the boats touch water Oars bite hard into the swell Our sailors pull toward the wreckage [Final Chorus - majestic, determined] Close the distance one more time But not with iron, not with fire Send the boats across the water Reach the men before they sink Pull hard through the shattered timber Now the oars cut through the swell Close the distance one more time Bring them back from the sea alive
