The Last Call Of The Damned

Lyrics

Intro — The Tavern at World's End]
[Rain pounds the roof. Thunder cracks. Bootsstomp in rhythm. A drunkard bangs a tankardagainst the table.]
BARMAN (shouting):
BOLT THAT DOOR! BAR THAT GATE!
THE DEAD ARE DRUNK AND THEY WON'TFUCKING WAIT!
CROWD:
HO! HEY! POUR THE ALE!
IF WE'RE GOING TO HELL, LET'S DRINK THEREIN STYLE!
LEAD VOCAL (gravelly laugh):
The king's in the grave, the priest's been eaten,
And something in the cellar's scratchingand screeching!
So fill up your cups, boys, sharpen your steel—
TONIGHT WE'LL TEACH THE DEAD HOW THELIVING FEEL!
[A hurdy-gurdy snarls. War drums erupt. Heavyguitars crash in.]
Verse 1 — Ale, Blood & Rotten Kings
The kingdom has fallen, the banners are torn,
The church bells ring for the newly reborn.
The baron's a biter, the bishop's a beast,
And the royal executioner's missing a feast.
There's plague in the river, there's rot in the grain,
There's dead men marching through the freezing rain.
But we've got black powder, old whiskey, and spite—
WE'LL DRINK TO THE DEVIL AND FIGHT THROUGHTHE NIGHT!
Pre-Chorus — Stomp Your Boots!
[Boots stomp. Tankards slam. The crowdchants faster.]
ONE FOR THE WICKED!
TWO FOR THE DEAD!
THREE FOR THE BASTARDS WHO WON'T STAYIN BED!
FOUR FOR THE DAMNED!
FIVE FOR THE GRAVE!
SIX FOR THE FOOLS WHO REFUSE TO BE SAVED!
Chorus — The Last Call
LEAD: HEY! HO! THE DEAD WON'T GO!
CROWD: HEY! HO! THE DEAD WON'T GO!
LEAD: POUR THAT ALE AND LET IT FLOW!
CROWD: DRINK! DRINK! BEFORE WE GO!
Raise your cups to the lost and damned!
Raise your axes and take your stand!
When the black bells toll and the red moons call—
WE'LL DRINK, FIGHT, AND LAUGH AT THEEND OF IT ALL!
HEY! HO! LET THE WAR DRUMS ROLL!
THE DEAD WANT FLESH, BUT WE'LL SELL'EM OUR SOULS!
HEY! HO! LET THE WHOLE WORLD FALL!
WE'RE THE LAST DRUNK BASTARDS IN THELAST DAMN HALL!
Verse 2 — The Siegeof the Crooked Crown
There's a headless knight at the windowpane,
Scratching his sword through the pouring rain.
A plague nun's crawling up the chimney stack,
And the stable boy's dead—but he's coming back.
Old Mad Jack's laughing, his beard soaked red,
He's playing cards with a severed head.
The cook's got a cleaver, the bard's got a knife—
AND THE BARMAID'S BEEN DEAD FOR THELAST HALF OF HER LIFE!
[The crowd roars with laughter. Fiddle racesover pounding drums.]
Chorus — Drink Until Dawn
HEY! HO! THE DEAD WON'T GO!
There's frost in our bones and fire down below!
Raise your cups to the lost and damned!
Raise your axes and take your stand!
When the black bells toll and the red moons call—
WE'LL DRINK, FIGHT, AND LAUGH AT THEEND OF IT ALL!
Bridge — They've Come Inside
[Everything stops. A slow heartbeat. Scrapingclaws. Three heavy knocks.]
VOICE OUTSIDE (whispering):
Please…
It's cold…
Please let me in…
BARMAN:
Who's out there?
VOICE:
Your mother.
A chair falls. Someone begins to cry.
BARMAN (quietly):
My mother's been dead for seventeen years.
[The door splinters. A monstrous shriek. Theheartbeat becomes a war drum.]
LEAD VOCAL (screaming):
THEY'RE IN THE FUCKING CELLAR!
THEY'RE UPON THE STAIRS!
THERE'S NO GOD ABOVE US!
THERE'S NO ONE WHO CARES!
DRAW YOUR BLADES, YOU DRUNKEN BASTARDS!
LET THE HURDY-GURDY SCREAM!
IF HELL HAS COME TO CLAIM US—
WE'LL GIVE THE DEVIL A FUCKING FEAST!
Final Chorus — The Tavern's Last Stand
[Full folk-metal assault. Gang vocals, poundingdrums, fiddle, distorted guitars, and roaring choir.]
HEY! HO! LET THE BLACK WIND BLOW!
STOMP YOUR BOOTS WHILE THE BLOODRUNS SLOW!
HEY! HO! LET THE DAMNED ONES KNOW—
THE LIVING STILL BITE WHEN THEY'VE NOWHERETO GO!
RAISE YOUR TANKARDS! DRAW YOUR STEEL!
MAKE THE DEAD REMEMBER HOW THE LIVING FEEL!
LET THE ROOF CATCH FIRE! LET THE BLACKBELLS CALL!
WE'RE THE LAST DRUNK BASTARDS—ANDWE'LL OUTDRINK HELL'S OWN HALL!
HEY! HO! LET THE WAR DRUMS ROLL!
WE'LL NEVER GO QUIET! WE'LL NEVER GO COLD!
HEY! HO! LET THE WHOLE WORLD FALL!
ONE LAST DRINK FOR THE DAMNED—
AND DEATH TO THEM ALL!
Outro — The Final Tankard
[The battle fades. A single lute plays.Embers crackle.]
The ale's run dry…
The fire burns low…
One empty tankard…
And nowhere to go.
A lone survivor raises his cup.
To the king who fell.
To the friends we lost.
To the fools who fought…
And the souls it cost.
[A knock comes from beneath the floorboards.]
VOICE FROM BELOW:
Barkeep…
One more round?
A pause. A low, drunken chuckle.
BARMAN:
Put it on my tab.
[The floor erupts. A final guttural scream.]
CROWD (distant, fading):
HEY…
HO…
THE DEAD WON'T GO…
One final tankard shatters. Silence.