"A Knight's Quest"
New Album Out Now!
Bardsman’s ringing steel string ukulele combined with steady drums and backed by a cinematic orchestra captures the magic of fantasy in a modern, Celtic-rock blend of storytelling music.
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A Knight's Quest - Released September 22nd, 2023
I. Hearthsong
This story begins where most stories end – happily ever after. Among the western hills, there was a happy, bustling little town where simple, ordinary folk harvested through their days and laughed their nights away.
It wasn’t a busy town or a popular city, but it was full – full of family, friends, food, full of contentment. A peaceful place.
The market enjoyed its share of success with familiar faces and happy customers. Farmers worked their fields with engaged children who learned the nobility of hard, honest labor. Youth roamed the streets as fearless anarchists, reenacting feats of courage and honor.
After a hard week’s work, the townspeople gathered to dine and celebrate another victory of life. The local bardsman always found the time to share stories with the good people -stories of magic and wisdom, courage and trickery, loss and discovery.
Dragons, the serpents of the wind, came to life, burning the skies and igniting imagination while worthy knights rose to challenge them. Giants trod over the dry earth, dominating their vision, leaving the people awestruck at their sheer size. Wars were waged among wizards and necromancers, battles fought between men and demons, knights were honored, kings were martyred, and mankind was tried.
But those were just stories, filled with wonder and majesty. Things like that didn’t happen in the world, especially around here. A peaceful place. The townsfolk would return to their homes as they did every week and sleep easily, their dreams still aflame with the stories of another place, another world.
This was a peaceful place.
This was Lionsgate.
V1
Rolling hills and golden plain
Nature never rests
Children run through fields of grain
In lands that we possess
—
Come harvest time
Bless our fathers as they reap
Bless our mothers, souls to keep
—
The country here’s been good to us,
Market always thrives
Music rings from city square
Taverns ring with life
—
And that sunrise
May it never cease to come
Come warm these bones
CH
A hearth to keep us warm
Safe harbor from the storm
And we, we sing
Things aren’t like that anymore
V2
Seasons come and seasons go
The crop may have to wait
We never thought we’d see the day
With the forests aflame
—
Oh how they burn
Bless our families, save our souls
Put out the fire, escape the smoke
—
Green begone, but folk remain
Consider loss, yet we sing with praise
—
But I know
Our troubles cannot keep us low
We hold fast hope
CH2
No hearth to keep us warm
Safe harbor from the storm
And we still sing
Things aren’t like that any
BRIDGE
More
See a glow in the night
Dancing shadows alive
A world left blackened before me
—
Alone
Sense a periless fight
Feel a gust at my side
A roar shakes the mountains surrounding
—
Then flame
Pierces the sky
Our fears come to life
See the horned beast lay dark eyes upon me
V3
My legs, they broke through the brush that night
The demon hot in pursuit
Opened my mouth in a desperate cry
His gaping maw followed suit
—
Red dragon fire
Destroyed the farm
Consumed our food
—
Ate our livestock
Took our loot
—
Burned down our crops
Dug up our roots
—
He razed our home
CH3
No hearth to keep us warm
No harbor from the storm
And we no longer sing
For what left have we?
I. Lonely Knight
To live for honor and for glory.
To serve one’s liege lord in valor and faith.
To respect and obey those in authority.
These are but some of the venerable, magnificent, impressively muscled Knights of Knucklebrook’s Code of Chivalry. The Code was clear. Honor was to be eschewed as the highest of nobilities. It demanded that Knights swear their allegiance, to respect and obey those in authority over them.
There was once a knight from this kingdom who broke that oath. A somewhat rebellious young fellow, he could periodically be found brooding in the castle courtyard over elephantile and donkestuous politics. While a good natured knight, he was not of noble blood.
He insisted on winning the hand of the fair princess regardless of his social standing. His efforts to persuade her, to the displeasure of her father, the king, only caused the Nobles to become increasingly angry towards the young knight until one day, the king stripped him of his rank and exiled him from the land temporarily. FOREVER.
This meant he could not return until he became sufficiently humbled; until he had proven his loyalty to the crown; and, to be frank, until the princess was married to another man, like a jockey, of qualifying royal blood and possessing a general goodness at sports.
Now, you might think that this knight did no wrong, and you might be right. Perhaps in a different time and place where soap opera dramas were more widely accepted, his actions would have been better received, maybe even considered romantic. But for now, the knight was forced to suffer his lot, wandering the land alone just outside the borders of the kingdom in search of purpose – to find out who he truly was and to prove what he could truly become.
V1
Oh lonely knight
One moonlit ride, all alone
—
To leave behind
A love sublime, forevermore
—
Through paths unknown
To find a goal, once again
—
No purpose shown
To this broken soul, on the mend
CH
Do you see someone
Running from the sun
To hide what they’ve become
But finally succumb
—
A mirror sowing seeds of doubt
Only to pull your head out from the clouds
And bestow you with a newfound power
Can you feel it now
Oh lonely knight
V2
Oh wary knight
To brave the fight, up ahead
—
No more deny
Renounce the lie, begin the quest
—
Though strong of heart
A weaker part, in vanity
—
Must Purge the mark
By will to start, and bring relief
CH2
Do you see someone
Chasing down the sun
To prove their shame undone
Despair now overcome
—
The journey that now lies before
Through mountain, hill and land impure
Become the hero of a people torn
A former glory to be restored
BRIDGE
But lo!
Emergency
See smoke on the horizon
Reins in his steed
The commoners are crying
—
True prophecy
Should he seize this chance
His sword unsheathes
He closes the distance
—
He closes the distance
—
True prophecy
Should he seize this chance
His sword unsheathes
He closes the distance
III. EPOCH UKOUSTICA
INTRO
Back in a place real far,
There was a town that was famous for
A dragon that could blacken the sky,
As it would steal and kill and plunder,
Making grown men cry.
—
They lived like this until on one fateful day
There came a knight in shining armor who would pave the way
To freedom from this tyrant who reigned
Because the courage of our knight was unrefrained.
—
The townspeople came to give support to our knight
And he said to them, with his eyes full of light,
“These dragon attacks, they will never subside.
So I’ll put an end to your oppression, for tonight….
I Ride.”
V1
With the fervor of might, I charge my stallion onward.
Wind bites my flesh, noble locks, they flow unconquered.
I’m here to seize the beast, to take back control of my town.
With my wrath released, I’m gonna give that drake the beatdown.
—
I’m going down into his cave.
I’ll throw him down into his grave.
I’m gonna come in swinging.
CH
Through the dead of the night, to the thick of the fight.
–Whoa!
Storm the dragon’s lair to slay the beast who is dwelling there.
–Whoa!
For the love of the girl will fuel this noble quest.
–Whoa!
It’s the thrill of the kill, the power of will,
To tan his hide, we will ride.
It’s adventure time!
V2
Passing hills of fire, his smoke consumes my country.
My one and only desire: to fulfill and claim my bounty.
—
A metal blade straight to his face.
I’ll mount his head on my fireplace.
Let me hear you sing it.
CH
The knight, determined to reclaim his honor and free the broken townsfolk, charged eastward, following a burning trail of ash and ruin. It was not long before he saw his target: a massive, horned beast sitting amidst a blazing field. Covered in scales with a long, serpent-like neck, jagged teeth and eyes of darkness, the creature turned to look at him.
If you’ve ever been a wee teenage villager who acted rashly to try to impress a fine young lass only to fall flat on your face, then you know exactly what this knight was feeling. In this moment, he realized he was severely unqualified to give this “Drake the beatdown”, as they say. The dragon rose to his menacing full height to regard our quivering friend, revealing A large gold chain which adornned his neck. Curiously, they were not shackles or restraints of any kind but rather a necklace – or bling as many of the more woke commoner lads had begun to call it in the deep city.
“Who dares to wake my slumber??” The dragon bellowed as he seemingly tipped down his eyes of darkness – were those sunglasses? – and peered at the lowly knight through slitted eyes.
“I am a knight, here to foul thee, beastly glory, and slay my once reclaimed knighthood!” The knight timidly crowed.
“Bro? I’m not sure you understand what you just said,” the dragon jeered. “No matter! I’ll cut ya down and I don’t mean lumber!” What happened next was most unexpected. The beast began to lay down some sick beats, verbally assaulting the knight with admirably offensive meter and rhyme. A voiced jab here, an oral joust there. The thug life lines were merciless.
The knight tried to retaliate in the only way he knew: what could be only described as slam poetry. But his stale rhymes fell flat. In an act of desperation, he insulted the dragon’s parents: “your mother was a rapster and your father smelt of Elvish fairies!” With the dragon stunned in disbelief, the knight roused his horse and sped out of the burning field. He ran and he ran into the night fearing for his life as the raps of the dragon haunted his waking memories.
IV. Historia
V1
I never imagined it would end this way
With nowhere to harbor me in safety
My last thought of a dragon hunting endlessly
And the people I’ve failed to set free
CH
I think we all should run for cover
He’s gonna burn us like the others
Oh he won’t stop until we’ve suffered
Oh wo wo wo
He’s mean and he’s green and His damage foreseen.
We. Are. History.
–OLE!
V2
My foolish endeavor to try to rap the beast
Left me feeling broken, burned and sorely beat
That serpent’s silver tongue I’ll ne’er defeat
Lest I give my body for him to eat
CH
INTERLUDE
Oh no!
I see him!
O’erwhelming Despair!
Every bone in my body fills with sulfurous fear!
If only I could see, could grasp what’s invisible there
I might stand a chance to repair what I’ve erred
But alas, what hope remains for us
I’ve left us to the dust
WIZARD
Chill out, holmes,
You’re not alone
For I am here:
The Sombrero Mago
BRIDGE
Cheer up, man
Not too fast
Can’t you see that this battle’s not lost
—
There’s still hope, Amigo
Look inside and you’ll find your solo, I know
—
It’s a thing you devise
In your thoughts it resides
With each beat of your heart
Your own life testifies
—
This hombre to all
Only answers your call
Bring it into the light
Such a glorious sight
—
That’s been there
All along,
It’s your song
END
Now, With this newfound power
I will not
Nay – I shall not fail!
I say we kill the beast!
V. Cold Ashes
Coming soon…
V1
Found another broken flask
As we sifted through the ash
Amid another sleepless night
Under cold, unfeeling skies
CH1
Thank the stars
Our homes can be rebuilt
But our scars
They may never heal
With our enemy at large
V2
It’s been silent here for weeks
Since he ventured to the east
Surely death has found him there
Snuffing out our last prayer
CH2
Oh so far
To flee the hand that we’ve been dealt
Thank the stars
Our homes can be rebuilt
But our scars
They may never heal
With that animal at large
BRIDGE
From cold ashes
Crying eyes
From cold ashes
Our demise
—
From cold ashes
What belies?
From cold ashes
Will we rise?
V3
Once a city so beloved
A mere husk of what it was
Still we labor to restore
Through the months and evermore
CH3
Oh so far
To flee the hand we’ve been dealt
Fall apart
From the suffering we’ve felt
Though our scars
They may never heal
—
Thank the stars
Our homes can be rebuilt
A brand new start
From these ashes we will build
And these scars
They may yet reveal
There’s a fight
Within us still
VI. Hero To Zero
V1
A thoughtless fight
Fought for oneself
Confidence fled
Defeated by a whelp
—
A touch of fate
A bit of luck
Escaped the Drake
Only to have lost the
War
CH1
I’m not gonna let this go
From hero to zero
Won’t let this be the death of me
I’ll overcome the evil
V2
This mighty sword
With no sharp edge
Wield it true
But only in defense
—
With miles to tread
And a heart reborn
To best the brute
Avenging the townsfolk
Evermore
CH2
I’m not gonna let this go
From hero to zero
Won’t let this be the death of me
I’ll overcome the evil
—
Oh, let courage overflow
Know I’m stronger than before – yeah
BRIDGE
When hope is slipping away
With no time to waste
As the light begins to fade
Tonight, the dragon will be unmade
—
I’m not gonna let this go
I’m gonna be the anti-hero
CH2
VII. The Labyrinth
V1
Through rocky hills, deep underground,
Beneath the Devil’s crown
A place that’s chilling to the bone
—
A smoking cloud befouls the air
Throughout this blackened lair
The dragon settles on his throne
PRE-CH
Hot stuff
The littered dead make up his bed
Their heads his cup
—
Enough
Spits out the bone, they should’ve known
He won’t give up
He’s never giving up
V2
He seeks a boon you cannot find
Searching far and wide
To quench his ever burning thirst
—
He’s waxing restless steadily
Dropping beats more rapidly
But each sequent verse only gets worse
PRE-CH2
Enraged
He starts to doubt, lights up his snout
Get out the way
—
The Flame
Hunger’s demand, he can’t withstand
They’re gonna know his hate
CH
Caverns so bereft of light
A maze where no man’s ever been
In shadows here sin doth hide
Deep within the labyrinth
V3
The serpent makes for his front door
Ready to feed once more
Fatigue foretells his long defeat
—
But from his perch he can discern
An Armored knight break through the ferns
Oer burning hills, unto the beast
PRE-CH3
Complete
This one is strong, keeps moving on
He won’t retreat
—
At last
The dragon grins, waits for his friend,
Lets out a wicked laugh
CH
BRIDGE
The food comes home tonight
To appease his appetite
He prepares to fight the knight
One more man that won’t survive
Who won’t survive
Stepping from the saddle, he readies his sword and steps into the cavernous maw. Our friend, the knight, has arrived…
VIII. FIREFIGHT
V1
Adventure most severe
Braved the dark Frontier
My quest hath brought me here
To slay the people’s fear
—
Emerging from the deep
He towers over me
With Flared colossal wings
And a smile of vicious teeth
—
With eyes to the sky
I feel my heart divide
Sword at my side
This time I fight for my life
—
I fade to the left
He strikes with his dragon breath
No weakness in death
In a bold move, I lunge for his head
CH1
You might be the one
to defeat him, obsolete him and leave him to seethe in his dragon despair
Be the one who
will destroy him, unemploy him and foil his voice beyond hope of repair
—
Be prepared
Face the wrath of a knight
The time has come to
Strike him down
V2
With a swipe, he throws me down,
my shield arm broken now,
I stand gallant and proud,
prepared for another round
—
I slam my visor shut,
throw caution to the dust,
above I put my trust,
and charge the serpent scum
—
I slash at his heels,
he lets out a horrid squeel,
his weak point revealed,
One more swing should seal the deal,
—
An uppercut to his flank,
My sword on bone does break
He sees my mistake
And bites with those bloody red fangs
CH2
You might be the one
to defeat him, obsolete him and leave him to seethe in his human despair
Be the one who
will destroy him, unemploy him and foil his voice beyond hope of repair
—
Be prepared
Feel the hate of the Drake
Who’s flames were made to
Strike man down
DRAGON BRIDGE
Ooooh
The dragon, he is chiding
“There’s no hope; you have lost
Mankind will fall
—
Pinned to the ground, brought down from your knees
broken man begging me, begging me please
I’ve been here starving, just dying to eat
Though you’ll taste fine, I wouldn’t call this a feast
—
Soon I’ll be off, there’s a whole town to hurt
After all, now, I’ve got room for dessert
I deserve their souls after all of my work
And I need my revenge, for quenching and ending this thirst”
KNIGHT BRIDGE
“Hold up
Snake you gotta chill
I ain’t lost this fight yet
You’re in for a thrill
—
I’ve got nothing left to lose
And nothing more to prove
My old folks won’t miss me
Yet I’m better off than you
—
There’s still fire in these bones
They’ll live to see you overthrown
And even though I’m dying
I’m not going down alone.”
—
And with that I raised my blade
Struck his neck decisively
The dragon roared in anger
Slashing claws across my face
—
He flung me with a swoop
I hit the wall across the room
Now broken bones were shattered
I lay dead, so he assumed
—
But you know you never should assume
You know just what that makes of you
I said “your reign will end today”
Stood and launched my weapon true
—
That blessed broadsword: his reward
Sunk deep into his vocal chords
The dragon howled, then limped away
No longer to enforce his war
CH3
You’ve become the one
to defeat him, obsolete him and leave him to seethe in his dragon despair
—
Been the one who
did destroy him, unemploy him and foil his voice beyond hope of repair
—
Remember
Faced the wrath of a knight
We won’t forget who
—
Struck him down
To the ground
That bitter hound
Will be renowned no more
IX. A Better Folk
Coming Soon…
V1
A beat and broken man
Cast out from his land
Wandering the grand
Unknown
—
On barren earth somewhere
Heard a people’s prayer
And answered their despair
With aid
—
He charged for their gates
Arrived a minute late
But swore he’d see the place
Avenged
—
Though well he did intend
He couldn’t comprehend
This foe
Oh no
V2
The townsfolk faired him well
His story they would tell
So off he went to fell
This beast
—
Later that same night
He was caught surprised
A field of red fires
Did burn
—
The knight leapt off his steed
Approaching cautiously
And that’s when he did see
The brute
—
Now doubting his resolve
The knight ran off appalled
So lost
CH
Far beyond the distant sun
He brought with him a hope so strong
Imbued our hearts again with want
To be what we could all become
So we honor him with this song
—
The good that one man has done
To save us from the evil one
From hazard we have come
Now a better folk has begun
V3
Remembering his oath
To a people truly loathed
Would he protect their home
For them
—
Strapping on his sword
He saddled up his horse
Then bounded for the northward
Den
—
Kicking down the door
To now settle the score
The dragon could not afford
To lose
—
A grisly fight followed
But our hero struck the final blow
CH
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