Uruk needs no Horns

​[Intro]
(Rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming, gentle banjo picking)
​[Verse 1]
High above the plains of Uruk, walls of burnt and baked red brick
Stood a king of bronze and iron, heart as cold and mind as thick
Two-thirds god and one-third mortal, ruler of the river land
Gilgamesh, the mighty shadow, crushing all beneath his hand
​[Pre-Chorus]
Till the wild man from the forest, clay and spirit, brought to life
Met the king upon the threshold, equal power, equal strife
​[Chorus]
Oh, the cedar trees are shaking, hear the horns of Uruk blow!
Two brave brothers bound by honor, where the wildest rivers flow
From the forest to the heavens, down where shadow meets the stone
No man walks the road to glory... ever truly on his own.
​[Verse 2]
Side by side they fought Humbaba, deep within the cedar shade
Brought the Bull of Heaven down, paid the price for choices made
But the gods look down in anger, fate will strike a bitter blow
Enkidu was called to slumber, to the dirt where all must go
​[Chorus]
Oh, the cedar trees are shaking, hear the horns of Uruk blow!
Two brave brothers bound by honor, where the wildest rivers flow
From the forest to the heavens, down where shadow meets the stone
No man walks the road to glory... ever truly on his own.
​[Bridge]
(Tempo slows down, fingerpicked guitar, sorrowful tone)
"Must I sleep beneath the mountain? Must I lie in quiet dust?"
Gilgamesh wept for his brother, saw his iron turn to rust
Crossed the waters of the dying, searched the ends of earth and sea
Looking for the hidden secret... to defeat eternity.
​[Verse 3]
(Tempo picks back up, driving rhythm)
At the edge of all creation, old Utnapishtim spoke at last:
"Like the reed that snaps in tempest, human life is fleeting fast"
Lost the flower of young living to the serpent in the deep
Every king must drop his mantle, every mortal fall asleep.
​[Chorus]
Oh, the cedar trees are shaking, hear the horns of Uruk blow!
Two brave brothers bound by honor, where the wildest rivers flow
From the forest to the heavens, down where shadow meets the stone
No man walks the road to glory... ever truly on his own.
​[Outro]
Back unto the walls of Uruk, walking through the city gates
He didn't find the gift of living, but he learned to accept his fate
Look upon these stones forever, read the tablet, know his name...
Though the man will turn to ashes, lived a song that stays the same.
​(Acoustic guitar fades out with gentle banjo cadence)