12

Lyrics

​(Intro)
(A slow, melancholic fingerpicked acoustic guitar. A mournful cello enters with a low, weeping melody, and the soft pulse of a bodhrán drum beats like a tired heart.)
​(Verse 1)
The guns have gone to silence, and the walls are standing bare
But the scent of smoke and sulfur is still hanging in the air.
I’m standing by the Tartar Gate, a weary, broken man
With a heart that’s heavy laden as only an Irishman can.
I’m watching as the fires rise against the darkening sky
A final, burning tribute to the ones who had to die.
There’s no green grass of home today, no shamrock on the grave
Just the ash and the embers of the beautiful and brave.
​(Verse 2)
I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, steady and broad
And I looked to see the Marine, the one the devils couldn't prod.
His face was caked in powder, his eyes were hard as stone
But I saw the way they softened for the brothers we had known.
Then the Italian joined us, his Volcanic in his belt
He didn't need to speak a word for us to know just what he felt.
He reached into his pocket for a crucifix of gold
And placed it where the ashes lay, so quiet and so cold.
​(Chorus)
OH, THE SMOKE IT CURLS AND RISES, A HEAVY, SORROWFUL SHROUD
FOR THE FRIENDS WHO FOUGHT BESIDE ME, NOW LOST WITHIN THE CROWD!
WE SHARED THE BREAD AND WATER, WE SHARED THE FEAR AND FIGHT
NOW WE SHARE THESE BURNING EMBERS, IN THE FADING OF THE LIGHT!
YEAH, THE ASHES DRIFT TO HEAVEN, FROM THE GARDENS OF THE KHAN
AND WE’RE STANDING IN THE SHADOWS... TILL THE COMING OF THE DAWN.
​(Bridge)
(The cello takes on a more intense, vibrating tone. The guitar strumming becomes more deliberate and heavy.)
We thought of the Chinese brother who found a cross to bear
Who stood within our circle and who offered up a prayer.
And the Austro-Hungarian sailor, the ghost within the gate
Who traded all his tomorrows just to change a city's fate!
Three soldiers from three nations, with three different kinds of scars
Watching the sparks go drifting up to meet the silent stars.
​(Verse 3)
The Marine spat in the dust and he adjusted his blue cap
The Italian crossed his heart and he closed the leather flap.
I tipped my hat to both of them, no words were left to say
The living have the memories, the dead have found their way.
We’ll carry them inside of us, across the salty foam
From Peking back to Dublin, and to Naples, and to home.
Until the fires all go out, and the morning starts to grey
We’ll stand here with our brothers... 'til the smoke all drifts away.
​(Outro)
(The music fades to a single, quiet acoustic guitar and a final, lingering cello note.)
The embers are all cooling...
The stars are coming out...
I’ll see you in the silence, boys... beyond the fear and doubt.
Sleep soft, me brothers.
(Fade out)
​Lyrics:
(Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh...)
Oh, the smoke it curls and rises, a heavy, sorrowful shroud
For the friends who fought beside me, now lost within the crowd.
We shared the bread and water, we shared the fear and fight
Now we share these burning embers, in the fading of the light.
(Ah, ah-ah...)
(Ooh, ooh-ooh...)
Lyrics:
(Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh...)
Oh, the smoke it curls and rises, a heavy, sorrowful shroud
For the friends who fought beside me, now lost within the crowd.
We shared the bread and water, we shared the fear and fight
Now we share these burning embers, in the fading of the light.
(Ah, ah-ah...)
(Ooh, ooh-ooh...)
​Lyrics:
(Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh...)
Oh, the smoke it curls and rises, a heavy, sorrowful shroud
For the friends who fought beside me, now lost within the crowd.
We shared the bread and water, we shared the fear and fight
Now we share these burning embers, in the fading of the light.
(Ah, ah-ah...)
(Ooh, ooh-ooh...)
​Lyrics:
(Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh...)
Oh, the smoke it curls and rises, a heavy, sorrowful shroud
For the friends who fought beside me, now lost within the crowd.
We shared the bread and water, we shared the fear and fight
Now we share these burning embers, in the fading of the light.
(Ah, ah-ah...)
(Ooh, ooh-ooh...)