From the blackened hills they thunder, From the wasteland they arise, Iron strapped across their shoulders, Fire burning in their eyes. They have marched beneath no banner But the hunger of the horde, And the mountain stands before them Like a challenge to be torn. The dwarves have built their fortress, Stone upon the stone, But the orcs have brought an army Greater than they've ever known. The drums begin to hammer, The valley starts to shake, And every dwarf behind the wall Can feel the mountain quake. **[Pre-Chorus]** **Drum! Drum! Hear it pound! Boots are shaking all the ground! Steel! Steel! Raise it high! Let the mountain hear our cry!** **[Chorus]** **The horde will rise! The horde will rise! Thousands marching underneath the skies! Axes bite and arrows fly, Let the dwarven fortress die! The horde will rise! The horde will roar! Break the gates and flood the floor! Stone may stand and steel may shine, But tonight this mountain's mine!** --- **[Verse 2]** They came beneath the dragon, A shadow over all, The beast above them screaming As the first great stones fall. The orcs don't fear the fire, They don't fear the falling stone, They've spent their lives in darkness— They've learned to make it home. The captains shout the orders, The war horns split the air, A hundred thousand warriors Are gathering everywhere. The dwarves look from the ramparts, Their eyes begin to see: **The army at their doorstep Is an ocean without sea.** **[Chorus]** **The horde will rise! The horde will rise! Thousands marching underneath the skies! Axes bite and arrows fly, Let the dwarven fortress die! The horde will rise! The horde will roar! Break the gates and flood the floor! Stone may stand and steel may shine, But tonight this mountain's mine!** --- **[Verse 3]** The first wave hits the fortress, Like a hammer hits the wall. The second wave comes screaming When the first begins to fall. The dwarven axes answer, The shields become a line, But every gap they close again Is opened twenty times. The orcs climb over bodies, They claw against the stone, They don't need roads or banners— They only need the throne. They see the ancient mountain, They see the treasure deep, And every orc is dreaming Of the riches they will keep. **[Bridge — The Dragon]** Then the dragon spreads its wings. The sunlight disappears. The dwarves raise their shields. The orcs raise their spears. Fire falls like judgment. The battlefield turns red. But the horde keeps marching— **Even when the front ranks are dead.** **Drum! Drum! March again! Fall! Rise! Bring the end! Drum! Drum! Do not break! Every wall We will take!** --- **[Verse 4]** But something changes in the darkness, Something neither army knows. Deep beneath the mountain The ancient furnace glows. The dwarves begin their countercharge, The hidden clans appear, And suddenly the orcs discover What it means to fight the spear. The mountain gates explode outward, The dwarven army roars, And what was once a simple siege Becomes a clash of wars. The orcs begin to falter. The dragon takes the sky. And for the first time in their history— **The horde begins to die.** --- **[Final Chorus]** **The horde will rise! The horde will rise! Even when defeat is in our eyes! Blood and iron, fire and flame, We will carve ourselves a name! **The horde will rise! The horde will roar! Even if we fall before the door! We came for gold, we came for war, We came to take what dwarves adore!** **The horde will rise! The horde will fight! Blackened banners in the night! Though the mountain turns us back, We will leave a bloody track!** --- **[Outro — The Last War Drum]** The battlefield is silent. The dragon disappears. The dwarves remain behind their walls, But nothing looks the same. The orcs retreat toward the wasteland, Their banners torn and burned. They lost the mountain battle— **But the war has not been turned.** One wounded orc looks backward. He sees the fortress flame. He grips his battered weapon And whispers through the rain: **"We were beaten. We were broken. But the mountain has been woken."** Far beyond the dying fire, One war drum starts again. **Boom.** Another answers. **Boom.** Then ten thousand voices: **"We will rise again."** **Drum! Drum! Rise again! Drum! Drum! Bring the end! Drum! Drum! Through the night! The horde will rise—** **AND RETURN TO FIGHT.**
