The Day the Sky Turned East

The snow came down like a burial shroud, White upon the dead. The Winter Dragon crossed the frozen plains, And every town had fled.

We'd marched against him in the bitter cold, With banners flying high. But brave men freeze the same as cowards do, Beneath a dragon sky.

And the line bent back, And the line broke down, From the mountains to the sea. The guns fell silent, The fires went dark, And defeat was all we'd see.

We looked to heaven, But heaven was gray, And the end seemed close at hand. So we dug our graves In the frozen earth And made our final stand.

The hospitals were full of shattered men, The rail lines choked with fear. The generals spread maps upon their tables, But no salvation appeared.

The dragon's shadow stretched for fifty miles, Across the ice and snow. Each village lost became another warning Of where we'd have to go.

And the line bent back, And the line broke down, From the mountains to the sea. The guns fell silent, The fires went dark, And defeat was all we'd see.

We looked to heaven, But heaven was gray, And the end seemed close at hand. So we dug our graves In the frozen earth And made our final stand.

Then a lookout cried, "There's something in the clouds!"

We thought it was the dragon coming. We thought it was our doom.

But through the storm Came a shape of steel, A mountain hanging in the sky.

Engines roaring. Propellers screaming. A rising sun upon her side.

The storm clouds split like curtains torn, And every soldier stared. The greatest airship ever built Hung mighty in the air.

Broad as a city, Armored like a fortress, Rocket batteries row on row. The name upon her shining hull Was one the world would know.

For the sky turned east, And hope returned, Like thunder through the snow. The Yamato came, And the world stood still To watch her shadows grow.

The Winter Dragon Raised his head, And for the first time felt fear. As the guns of Yamato Spoke across the clouds, The dawn of victory was here.

We had written our names Upon farewell letters. We had counted our final hours.

But the East Wind came On wings of steel, And changed the fate of the world.