TITLE:
Lower the Spear

STYLE:
Nordic Viking metal fused with hip-hop, drop-D down-tuned heavy guitars, pounding war drums, tagelharpa and bone flute, deep throat-singing drones, cinematic strings, male baritone half-rap lead, female contralto lead, massive mixed choir, gang shouts, anthemic, epic, modern heavy production, clear intelligible English vocals, 94 BPM, stomping refusal anthem, gang chants, war drums, drop-D chug, arena energy

EXCLUDE STYLES:
autotune, EDM drop, lo-fi, comedy, spoken-word only, children's choir, country, reggae

LYRICS:
[Cold Open - gang chant a cappella with stomps and claps]
Lower the spear!
Lower the spear!

[Main Riff - chugging drop-D riff with stomp-clap rhythm, instrumental]

[Verse 1 - male baritone rap, defiant and rhythmic]
The horn blew at midnight and the orders came down,
March before the sunrise to the far side of town.
Sign here, stand here, sharpen what you hold,
Fight a man you've never met for a story you've been told.
But I've seen the forged rune and I've heard the stolen voice,
And a soldier with his eyes open has only got one choice.
I'm not a coward and I'm not a traitor to my own,
I'm just the one who will not kill for a merchant's throne.

[Pre-Chorus - female contralto, fierce, drums thin]
One by one
The line goes still.
Man by man
Against their will.

[Chorus - full band, massive gang vocals, choir, stomps]
Lower the spear!
There's nobody here
Worth dying for a lie.
Lower the spear!
Let the liar appear
And look us in the eye.
Lower the spear!
Lower the spear!

[Verse 2 - female contralto rap, then male joins, rising]
On the other ridge a woman lowers hers as well,
And the silence in the valley is a louder sound than hell.
Captain's shouting orders but the orders have no teeth,
Because nobody believes them now, not even underneath.
The merchant's in his tower and he's watching through the glass,
And he sees an army standing there that will not let him pass.
Two ranks facing each other and not one arrow flies,
That's the day the ravens learned they could not sell their lies.

[Chorus - full band, bigger gang vocals]
Lower the spear!
There's nobody here
Worth dying for a lie.
Lower the spear!
Let the liar appear
And look us in the eye.
Lower the spear!
Lower the spear!

[Outro - stomps and claps with chant, fading]
Lower the spear!
Lower the spear!