The Carriage of Iron and Gold

[Verse 1]
Raise your cups and mind your purse
When the lamplight starts to fall
There’s a shadow in the stable yard
That’s quicker than you all
He’s the whisper under wagon wheels
The hand that finds your key
They call him Lantern Lark at dusk
But he just laughs
“That’s me” (hey!)
[Chorus]
Oh sing for the thief of the open road
Who dances where the axles roll
From creaking carts to velvet thrones
He takes his tithe
He takes his toll
But tonight we drink to a darker game
Where the guards wear steel and the horses foam
To the carriage of iron and gold
My friends
The one that may not bring him home
[Verse 2]
He’s slipped past dukes half in their cups
And barons dead asleep
Cut harness straps on bully boys
And left them in a heap
He’s ridden under painted wagons
Clinging to the frame
Picked lock and pocket
Bolt and box
And never gave his name
[Chorus]
Oh sing for the thief of the open road
Who dances where the axles roll
From creaking carts to velvet thrones
He takes his tithe
He takes his toll
But tonight we drink to a darker game
Where the guards wear steel and the horses foam
To the carriage of iron and gold
My friends
The one that may not bring him home
[Bridge]
Three teams wide at the city gate
Twelve men on each side
Crossbows on the rooftop rails
Helmets bright as pride
A priest who blesses every wheel
A mage who smells out lies
A captain counting every hoof
And murder in his eyes (ohhh)
[Verse 3]
He studies maps on ale-stained wood
The hills
The turns
The ruts
Marks where the river eats the road
Where frost will crack the ruts
“I’ve taken coin from every crown
From gravel track to throne
But this one rides with chains inside
And secrets carved in stone”
[Pre-Chorus]
“So pour me something strong enough
To burn the fear away
If I come back
The round’s on me
If not…remember my name”
[Chorus]
Oh sing for the thief of the open road
Who dances where the axles roll
From creaking carts to velvet thrones
He takes his tithe
He takes his toll
But tonight he goes for a darker game
Where the guards wear steel and the horses foam
To the carriage of iron and gold
My friends
The one that may not bring him home
[Outro]
So raise your cups to Lantern Lark
And the dare he couldn’t dodge
To the night the richest rolling cage
Met one poor stable rogue
If you hear wheels on a moonless track
And a laugh cut short in cold
You’ve found the place his legend ends
And the tale grows twice as bold (hey!)

Rowdy fantasy tavern shanty, mid-tempo stomp with bodhrán and clacking mugs as percussion; fiddle and flute trade licks around a swaggering acoustic guitar. Verses stay half-spoken like a grinning tale; choruses burst into shouted gang vocals. Male vocals up front, crowd sing-alongs, boots-on-wood energy that ramps toward a big, drunken final refrain.