[Intro — Low brass, distant rolling toms] [Dorn — Male spoken] Warhide Radio. Dawn at the shelter. Twelve travellers. [Tarn — Male bass] Three escorts. One still tired. [Dorn] Then nobody moves before the check. [Drums enter — Heavy half-time] [Verse 1 — Sable, female gritty lead] I took the path above the hollow, Left the others where they'd slept. Saw a crack across the limestone, Loose white grit beneath the edge. Stopped before the narrow section, Watched a slab fall out of sight. No enemy to drive before us. No throat to threaten into flight. Back I came along my footprints, Found Dorn waiting by the stone. Said, “The straight way won't support us. I'm checking lower ground alone.” [Pre-Chorus — Dorn] My horns can turn a hunter. They cannot hold that wall. [Sable — Female answering lead] Then don't mistake your strength For an answer to it all. [Chorus — Dorn lead; Sable answers] [Dorn] THE MOUNTAIN DOESN'T CARE! [Sable] How loud you swear you'll make it! [Dorn] THE MOUNTAIN DOESN'T BEND! [Sable] Because you won't forsake it! [Both] Take the long way with the living, Leave the broken stone behind. Twelve are more than any promise Of arriving there on time! [Verse 2 — Sable, female lead] Down along a broad low shoulder, Out as far as level ground. Walked the whole approach and back again, Named the turns that I had found. “No loose edge along that section. Only there is what I know. Past the level ground, no promises— That's as far as we should go.” [Tarn — Male spoken] And we stop there? [Dorn — Male] We stop there. [Tarn] Then I can take it slowly. [Breakdown — Toms and low guitars] [Dorn] NOT FOR THE SHORTEST LINE! [Choir] FOR THOSE BEHIND! [Sable] NOT FOR A PERFECT TIME! [Choir] FOR THOSE BEHIND! [Tarn] Leave room for the last one. [Full-band impact] [Verse 3 — Dorn, gritty male lead] Sable led the lower passage, I walked near the frightened young. Tarn came last with measured footfalls, Club-tail low beneath the sun. When he called, we stopped together, Let the distance close again. No one filled that pause with praise That asked him to pretend. [Instrumental — Sixteen-bar heavy march] [Final Chorus — Dorn and Sable] THE MOUNTAIN DOESN'T CARE! But we can care for one another. The long way brought us here— Not one name beneath the rubble. On this ground in Titans Maw, Count the travellers, then the three. We have reached the place we checked— Not the end of everything! [Outro — Drums fall away] [Sable — Female spoken] Twelve travellers. All here on the level ground. [Tarn — Male bass] I'm sitting down again. [Dorn — Male spoken] We said we'd stop. We stop. [Final low brass chord] [End]
