[Intro]
[low khöömei drone]
Ho-or-hoo
Wind over bone-dry land
Drums in the distance
Names carved in sand
[Verse 1]
Born where the steppe meets the sky
Salt on his tongue
Iron in his eyes
Leather reins wrapped round his fist
Whole world small
Like a hunting list
He drank rivers, chased the dawn
Cold-night prince
Turned to a storm
Steel in the dark of his grip
Horses were his—ships
[Chorus]
Genghis rides, horizon splits
Horses were his ships (hey)
Wave on wave of dust and grit
Horses were his ships (ho-or)
Storm in fur, the earth he rips
Horses were his ships (hey)
From yurts to distant cliffs
Horses were his ships
[Verse 2]
Steppe-song hum in his throat
Old clan smoke
In a war-torn coat
Campfire sparks in his beard
Old gods smiled
When his rivals feared
Not for the sea or the docks
His ocean rolled
Under pounding hooves and rock
Every hoofbeat, iron kiss
Every raid, a blood-red myth
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[chanting gang vocals]
Row, row
Across the plain
Saddle as the prow
Reins as the chain
Row, row
Through dust and flame
No carved hull
Just a name, just a name
[Chorus]