Lyrics
Robespierre - The Ballad of the Guillotine
Verse 1:
In shadows' cast by moon’s cold gleam,
A phantom stirs from restive dreams,
Where stones mark tales of king and knave,
Here lies the zealot, none could save.
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
Verse 2:
I led with iron, heart encased,
Dreams of virtue, freedom chased,
Yet here I dwell where willows weep,
With royal bones, in silence deep.
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
[Bassoon solo]
Bridge:
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
Verse 3:
From the Louvre to the crowded square,
The cries of justice filled the air,
But what's the worth of a severed head,
When tyrants rise in martyrs' stead?
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
Bridge:
[Spoken]
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
[Instrumental]
[Violin solo]
Verse 3:
From the Louvre to the crowded square,
The cries of justice filled the air,
But what's the worth of a severed head,
When tyrants rise in martyrs' stead?
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
Outro:
Now echoes fade of guillotine’s ring,
Both pawn and king, their end we sing,
For in the ground, we're all the same,
Just whispered names in history’s gam
[silence]
[Eerie]
Spoken:
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
[silence]
[Eerie]
[Declamed:]
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
In shadows' cast by moon’s cold gleam,
A phantom stirs from restive dreams,
Where stones mark tales of king and knave,
Here lies the zealot, none could save.
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
Verse 2:
I led with iron, heart encased,
Dreams of virtue, freedom chased,
Yet here I dwell where willows weep,
With royal bones, in silence deep.
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
[Bassoon solo]
Bridge:
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
Verse 3:
From the Louvre to the crowded square,
The cries of justice filled the air,
But what's the worth of a severed head,
When tyrants rise in martyrs' stead?
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
Bridge:
[Spoken]
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
[Instrumental]
[Violin solo]
Verse 3:
From the Louvre to the crowded square,
The cries of justice filled the air,
But what's the worth of a severed head,
When tyrants rise in martyrs' stead?
Chorus:
For the king and I, we dance alike,
On wooden stage under blade’s cold strike,
In graves unmarked by creed or crown,
In death's embrace, all men bow down.
Outro:
Now echoes fade of guillotine’s ring,
Both pawn and king, their end we sing,
For in the ground, we're all the same,
Just whispered names in history’s gam
[silence]
[Eerie]
Spoken:
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.
[silence]
[Eerie]
[Declamed:]
O Revolution, cruel and vast,
Your promises, they did not last,
Equality’s sharp, double-edged sword,
Cut through the lie we all adored.