HAROLD THE REX (KING HAROLD GODWINSON I)

(Intro)

Ohhh feel the rain, feel the weight of kin,

Shield wall trembling where the end begins,

Top of the hill, axe in hand, heart in chains,

Brother's shadow calls my name again.

(Verse 1)

Harold the rex, raised by the wise men's vote,

Witenagemot spoke, placed the crown on my throat,

They chose me king by ancient right and law,

But you spat on the council, brother, and swore war.

Godwin's blood ran thick in our veins once true,

Yet you turned from the hearth, dragged strangers through,

Wayward and proud, you burned what we built,

Northumbrian fields in flames, soaked in guilt.

(Pre-chorus)

Ohhh feel the fear, hear the game unwind,

A throne forged in council, shattered by mind,

Loyalties fracture like ice on the mere…

Tostig, my brother… why this needless tear?

(Chorus)

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, KEEP YOUR ENEMIES NEAR,

A KING BY THE VOTE, YET YOU SOWED ONLY FEAR,

UNNECESSARY RUIN FROM A WAYWARD SON'S HAND,

EXILES IN SHADOW, SCATTERED ACROSS LAND,

A MAN MAY WEEP, BUT HE'S…

TRAPPED IN THE WRECKAGE OF A BROTHER'S STAND,

DON'T YOU KNOW ME…

I AM YOUR BLOOD—WE COULD HAVE HELD THE LAND TOGETHER!

(Verse 2)

Instead you allied with the raven's cruel flight,

Hardrada's longships carved through the night,

York's gates fell open to your vengeful spite,

Homes turned to ash in the cold northern light.

You were earl once, fierce in your prime,

But envy consumed you, twisted your line—

I offered pardon, earldom restored on the field,

You chose death beside the Viking, refused to yield.

(Pre-chorus)

Ohhh feel the fear, play the game no more,

A throne by the council, forever at war,

Loyalties shatter from sea to the shore…

Tostig, my brother… lie still in the gore,

If not for the crown, then for mother we swore,

For the Godwin name that will echo no more,

Ohhhhhhhh oh oh… son of the earls, yet you chose endless war.

(Chorus)

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, KEEP YOUR ENEMIES NEAR,

A KING BY THE VOTE, YET YOU SOWED ONLY FEAR,

UNNECESSARY RUIN FROM A WAYWARD SON'S HAND,

EXILES IN SHADOW, SCATTERED ACROSS LAND,

A MAN MAY WEEP, BUT HE'S…

TRAPPED IN THE WRECKAGE OF A BROTHER'S STAND,

DON'T YOU KNOW ME…

I AM YOUR BLOOD—WE COULD HAVE HELD THE LAND TOGETHER!

(Outro)

Where is my brother, the forced march turns south,

William's black sails blot the sky like a mouth,

Hold the line, hold the wall, one last desperate call,

But your ghost rides beside me as the axes fall…

One fatal mistake, and we join in the hall,

Exiles eternal, remnants in thrall—

Tostig, forgive… or curse me through all.