[Verse 1] They came in their badges and borrowed belief Maps on their laps Thinking quick Thinking brief Thought they'd write orders on somebody’s land Never once wondering who’d make a stand [Verse 2] Thermos of coffee A government coat Metal and plastic where hearts should have wrote They laughed at the warnings The tales of the past “Winter is nothing ” they muttered at last [Chorus] But winter remembers a uniformed face It bites through the glass It creeps through the lace You came like the tyrants that history cursed A winter‑ready people have seen them all first So freeze in your trucks Hear the old stories sing You can’t cage a country that’s lived through your king [Verse 3] Out on the roadside The engines grow weak Salt on the pavement White on your cheek Screens glow in blue on your trembling hands All of that power Stuck in the vans [Verse 4] We sit in the kitchen Turf on the fire Talking of granddads who buried your sire Different flag Same swaggering claim Same foolish marching into the same flame [Chorus] ’Cause winter remembers a uniformed face It bites through the glass It creeps through the lace You came like the tyrants that history cursed A winter‑ready people have seen them all first So freeze in your trucks Hear the old stories sing You can’t cage a country that’s lived through your king [Bridge] You studied the borders Forgot the cold You polished your car while the storm was foretold You counted our numbers Miscounted our years We’ve shoveled through empires We’re shoveling your fears [Chorus] Oh Winter remembers a uniformed face It bites through the glass It creeps through the lace You came like the tyrants that history cursed A winter‑ready people have seen them all first So freeze in your trucks Let the long night ring You can’t cage a country that’s outlived your king
