[Intro]
Cold iron, wet stone
Hear the oars bite the fjord
[Verse 1]
Salt on my cuffs, frost in my beard
The black sail snapped and the coast disappeared
We counted the waves by the cuts in the mast
No one aboard ever asked how long lasts
A ring on the table, a scar on the hand
Names carved deep where the old pines stand
You keep your promise when daylight is gone
You carry your people, you carry it on
[Chorus]
Raise the shield, let the timber drum
From the northern water, here we come
Hold your ground when the hard winds roar
We were born for the pull of the oar
[Verse 2]
Ravens wheel wide over slate-colored seas
Smoke climbs slow through the winter-bare trees
I speak for the ones who were lost on the crossing
For the hands that kept rowing when every star’s gone
No gold weighs more than the word that you gave
No song lasts long if it’s built on a lie
So set your feet where the black rocks meet
And answer the tide with your own heartbeat
[Chorus]
Raise the shield, let the timber drum
From the northern water, here we come
Hold your ground when the hard winds roar
We were born for the pull of the oar
[Outro]
Cold iron, wet stone
One shore behind, one oath carried home