[Intro] | low cello | soft hoofbeats | morning wind [female] Morning lay pale on the stones Smoke curled gray from old town homes A grand door waited, oak and worn With a sleeping blade meant for the north [male] Before the road Before the wild We came for steel And the fate of a child [Verse 1] | playful duet [male] Let’s see the sword Before we agree [female] Practical, Thorn How alarming of thee [male] Don’t sound wounded [female] I never said I was [male] Lead on, witch-light [female] Lead on, because [both] The mayor’s house stood quiet With a crest above the door And trouble in the timber Like footsteps under floor [Pre-Chorus] | tension rising Dark cloth waited On an oaken table Old power sleeping Steady but stable Violet fingers Tested the air Not cursed, not harmless But something was there [Chorus] | both | driving There’s a true blade waiting Where the old roads bend A sword that knows the hand And the heart of a friend No glow, no thunder No golden flame Just steel that remembers The truth in a name Ride north, ride true With the storm at our side The road chose the ranger And the ranger chose the blade [Verse 2] | male lead I unwrapped the dark cloth slow Firelight ran where the edge did glow Plain as honor, clean as rain No scar, no nick, no mark, no stain Steel whispered soft When I drew it free Then the balance settled Like it knew me [female] Old things rarely Welcome new hands [male] This one feels friendly [female] That’s how doom lands [Pre-Chorus] | intimate The mayor spoke low Of his grandfather’s days Of stones that remembered Forgotten names A sword that never Drew blood in spite Unless the hand that held it Was true in the fight [Chorus] | both | bigger There’s a true blade waiting Where the old roads bend A sword that knows the hand And the heart of a friend No glow, no thunder No golden flame Just steel that remembers The truth in a name Ride north, ride true With the storm at our side The road chose the ranger And the ranger chose the blade [Bridge] | stripped down | warm but serious [female] If it chose you Then it chose well [male] If it chose wrong Time will tell [female] Old magic sleeps But never lies [male] Then let it wake Beneath northern skies [both] One blade notched One blade new One road waiting For the two [Verse 3] | male lead | tender But first came the boy Pale in the yard Brushing our horses Though breathing was hard Couldn’t just sit Couldn’t do none After blood and mercy And the rising sun [female] Healing is work Rest is a trade [male] Then I showed him My battered old blade [Verse 4] | both trading lines [male] This sword broke chains And guarded my breath [female] Stood between us And more than one death [male] Take it, lad Look after it well [female] Worth is earned Where honest acts dwell [male] If we don’t come back And trouble rides south [female] Tell the whole town Put steel in each mouth [male] Look after yourself first Then the town [female] Heal, work, learn And stand your ground [Chorus] | both | emotional lift There’s a true blade waiting Where the old roads bend A sword that knows the hand And the heart of a friend No glow, no thunder No golden flame Just steel that remembers The truth in a name Ride north, ride true With the storm at our side The boy holds the old blade The ranger bears the true blade [Verse 5] | lighter road rhythm Sun on leather Hooves on clay Town smoke fading Field fences gave way Then Thorn sang loud With dangerous pride [female] Mercy, my love The horse wants to hide [male] My voice has character [female] So does spoiled milk [male] Cruel little dagger [female] Wrapped up in silk [Pre-Chorus] | ominous build By noon came honey By dusk came stone The road grew narrow The wilds had grown A bluff at our backs Open ground ahead Low fire burning Where the old dark spread [Final Chorus] | full power There’s a true blade waiting Where the old roads bend A sword that knows the hand And the heart of a friend No glow, no thunder No golden flame Just steel that remembers The truth in a name Ride north, ride true With the storm at our side The road chose the ranger And the ranger chose the blade [Outro] | quiet | embers | dawn wind [female] I kept the watch Where the red fire died [male] You guarded my sleep From the dark outside [female] Not boots, not men Just gold eyes near [male] A wildcat passing Without hunger or fear [both] Rain in the north Dawn on the plain Ashes scattered We ride again True blade at the hip Violet eyes awake Into the wilds For the north road’s sake
