Tale of the Dragon
Ó1996 W. Scott Snyder
Em G A Em
The call sounded out from the battlement high
Em Bm A Em
“To arms, to arms! The Dragon draws nigh!”
Em G D C
And the bells sounded loud and the people did fear
Em Bm D Em
For tales of the Dragon they often did hear
The Bards they did sing to all gathered ‘round
The stories they told to the children in town
For the men they did sing for a tankard of ale
For the weight of gold pieces, did they tell this tale
Chorus:
Em G Bm Em
With wings and fire and razor sharp claws
Em G Bm Em
The Dragon will come, snatch you up in her jaws
Em G Bm
Her scales are like armor, her magic is strong
Em Bm D Em
If the Dragon comes for you, you will not live long
The tale was told of a huge scaly beast
That on cattle and maidens and children does feast
She attacks from above, breathes fire from the sky
And can swallow a man in the blink of an eye
She was born in the heart of the Devil’s own keep
And lives in a cave that is dark, fey and deep
And she hunts down our children in the dark of the night
The tales of the Dragon consume us with fright
Chorus
So I picked up my sword and strapped on my shield
And marched with my Captain out on to the field
We stood at the ready with fear in our eyes
Awaiting the fire to fall from the skies
And then came a shout from the men in the back
“We’ve spotted the Dragon! Prepare to attack!”
As she came into view, I prayed “God make me strong”
The tail of that Dragon was thirty yards long
Chorus
We closed up our ranks and prepared to defend
But the Dragon just landed and looked at the men
She spoke with a voice from deep under the ground
“I’ve not come to harm any one from this town”
“The Goblins they come through the woods and the mud
And they look to feast wildly on your human blood
Now I come before you to offer myself
To stand with you against these offspring of hell”
The Captain stepped forward and looked at the beast
“But you hunt our maidens for your evil feast
And slaughter our children in dark of the night
Why should you now want to keep us alive?”
“Harm never comes to your children from me
It’s lies and wild rumours the Bards spread so free
For they make a profit with a tale to tell
And tales of this Dragon do pay very well”
The Dragon breathed smoke from between ivory teeth
The Captain stood still for an eternity
Then a cry sounded out that was high loud and long
And the Goblins attacked us near five-thousand strong
The Captain barked orders and ran to engage
The Dragon jumped skyward, flames leaping in rage
Then the first line of Goblins came over the hill
Breathing flames and blue magic, the Dragon did kill
Chorus:
With wings and fire and razor sharp claws
The Dragon will come, snatch you up in her jaws
Her scales are like armour, her magic is strong
When the Dragon comes for you, you do not live long
By the end of the day not a Goblin still stood
Their charred bodies lay at the edge of the wood
With the help of the Dragon we lived through the day
We owe her a debt we can never repay
When you see the Dragon fly over our town
Fear not the shadow you see on the ground
And remember my story to your very last year
And no tale of the Dragon will fill you with fear
Chorus:
With wings and fire and razor sharp claws
The Dragon will come, snatch you up in her jaws
Her scales are like armour, her magic is strong
May the Dragon watch o’er you, and may you live long