Ashes of the Monsoon

[Intro: Tanpura drone. A lone sitar bends a note upward. Tabla enters slowly, then the entire band crashes in with a low, grinding guitar riff.] Verse 1 I woke beneath a burning sky, Where seven rivers learned to lie, A rusted train screamed through the rain, Carrying ghosts without a name. Old men sleeping by the tracks, Holy smoke upon their backs, A palace sinking in the haze, Marble bones from better days. And every god upon the wall Watched another kingdom fall. Pre-Chorus Turn the wheel, Feed the flame, Different faces, Same old game. Chorus LET THE MONSOON COME! Wash the ashes from my hands, I have walked through dying cities, I have crawled across their sands. LET THE MONSOON COME! Let the blackened heavens break, If the river wants another soul, Then there's one more it can take. [Sitar doubles the lead guitar riff while tabla rolls underneath the drums.] Verse 2 Saw a thousand candles burn Where the river makes its turn, Flowers drifting through the night, Little funeral stars of light. Down in Mumbai, engines scream, Neon bleeding through the steam, Million footsteps shake the street, Hungry mouths and blistered feet. Somewhere underneath the sound, Another empire hits the ground. Pre-Chorus Turn the wheel, Break the chain, Kings are buried, Stones remain. Chorus LET THE MONSOON COME! Wash the ashes from my hands, I have walked through dying cities, I have crawled across their sands. LET THE MONSOON COME! Let the blackened heavens break, If the river wants another soul, Then there's one more it can take. Interlude [Guitars drop out. Tanpura drone remains. Tabla plays an increasingly complex cycle beneath a haunting sarangi melody.] [Whispered] Delhi burned. The border bled. A million walked. A million fled. A spinning wheel. A salt-white shore. One quiet man Against an empire's roar. Then came the fire. Then came the line. Brother against brother... Your blood. Or mine. [Full band detonates into a faster thrash riff.] Verse 3 There's a shadow over Amritsar, Bullet scars beneath the stars, Footsteps where the garden sleeps, History never buries deep. Up where Himalayan teeth Cut the clouds and breathe beneath, Soldiers freeze beneath the moon, Waiting for the morning boom. Down below the markets sing, Gold and dust on everything. Breakdown BUILD YOUR TEMPLE! BUILD YOUR THRONE! Carve your name Into the stone. RAISE YOUR BANNERS! DRAW YOUR LINES! The earth remembers Older signs. [Half-time riff. Tabla strikes lock tightly with kick drum.] Ashoka's lions lost their roar, Mughal shadows cross the floor, British cannon, broken crown, Every conqueror... COMING DOWN. Bridge [Clean guitar with sitar. Vocal becomes restrained and almost spoken.] I saw the white dome catch the dawn, Beautiful because someone's gone. I watched the Ganges swallow flame, Take the body, keep the name. I heard a child beside the road Laugh beneath an impossible load. And for a moment I understood... We build our heavens out of mud. [Silence.] [Shehnai enters alone.] Final Chorus LET THE MONSOON COME! Let it hammer every door, Let it drown the blood of kings That the earth remembers no more. LET THE MONSOON COME! From the mountains to the sea, Let it tear apart the monuments We built to never be free. LET THE MONSOON COME! No forgiveness. No command. Just the rain... Upon the sand. Outro [Main riff returns slower and heavier. Sitar bends around the guitar melody while tabla and drums gradually fall out of synchronization.] [Whispered] Seven rivers. Seven scars. Dead kings sleeping Under stars. Turn the wheel. Feed the flame. Everything changes. Nothing... changes. [Final guitar chord rings over tanpura drone.] [A distant temple bell.] Gone.