London Burns

We did it right, by God we did

We held the line, we kept our heads

They came in storms on beating wings—

Ashdrakes black and wyvern kings

We knew that fight, we knew it well

Met iron shot and gave them hell

They tried to spark our powder flame

We kept it dry, we played it sane

And they fell down like summer rain

Shot from sky to street and lane

We almost thought we’d turned the tide—

We almost thought we’d won that fight

But war don’t break the way you plan

It turns its teeth on every man

Oh London burns, the bells don’t ring

Smoke like a shroud round everything

We held the sky, we held the wall

But hell came up beneath it all

The streets split wide with thunder’s sound

Like something clawing from the ground

Scaled and crawling, pouring through—

Behind our line where no one knew

We turned too late, we heard the cries

Felt the fire from both our sides

Some broke ranks to try and save

The ones cut off we could not brave

They vanished quick in wing and flame

Gone before we knew their names

Steel and powder, blood and cries—

No time left for alibis

Oh London burns, the river glows

Fire in every street it knows

We beat the wings, we broke their flight

But lost the city in the night

Shot ran low, and powder thin

Barrels near to empty tin

Orders came we feared to hear:

“Fall to the fleet—fall back to pier!”

We dragged the guns, we cursed, we bled

Carried wounded, left the dead

Ironclads waiting in the bay

Black against the burning day

We turned to load and make a stand

With naval shot and steady hand

But as we primed and raised our line—

The beasts swept in like closing time

Fire took the streets in waves

Still some fight the city gave

Pockets holding, small and grim—

Candles fighting at the brim

We ain’t done yet, hear this song

London burns—but not for long

We’ll learn the dark beneath the stone

We’ll hunt them where they thought their own

Oh London burns—but mark me well

We walked alive straight out of hell

We bent, we bled, gave up the ground—

But we ain’t the kind to stay knocked down