Ash On The Shield

[Verse 1]
They were not made of marble
They were mud and bone
Odin with his wandering eye
Still afraid of dying alone
Thor with cracked knuckles
Blood on his tongue
Freyja counting fallen names
Like beads she never hung
[Chorus]
Ash on the shield
Fire on the fjord
The gods who fought and could die
Still gave us more
Ash on the shield
We carry their scars
The gods who fell for the people
Light for the dark
[Verse 2]
They stole back the mead for our voices
They bent back the night for our fields
They broke their own hearts on the anvil
So ours could learn how to heal
They laughed with the farmhand at sunup
Drank with the widow at dusk
They knew their bright halls were fading
Still they handed us trust
[Bridge]
So we raise up our cups
To the Norse heroes
The warriors
Who walked like worn-out farmers
But held back the devouring
They knew what was coming
Still they stood in the storm
Gave back fire
Gave back stories
So our children stay warm
[Outro]
Sky splits open
No prayer left to pray
Ragnarok rising
All debts to pay
World serpent writhing
Wolf breaks the chain
The gods go down with the sailors
And nothing remains
Just ash on the shield
Ash on the shield
The end

raw room sound with subtle modern ambience and swells leading to a stark, emo, emo-influenced nordic folk with minor-key acoustic guitar, big gang-vocal chorus, collapsing outro., folk, low baritone male vocals, sparse fiddle and deep floor toms; intimate verses