Hamðismál

Intro

(Hamðismál! Hamðismál!)

She woke us with grief louder than the war-horn...

(Hu-ha!) Svanhildr — hooves — the last bloodline torn —

Guðrún weeping over what the gold had sworn —

(Hamðismál!) We rode knowing we would not see the dawn...

Verse 1 — Guðrún

I have buried more than any woman living —

Sigurðr — then my brothers — no forgiving —

Atli's hall burned — that was my giving

Of every debt the gold curse kept delivering.

But Svanhildr — last child — Sigurðr's daughter — golden —

Hair like the sun before the age had olden —

Jörmunrekkr's horses left her field-cold, frozen —

Bikki's lie — the last thing I was owed one.

I walked into my sons' room before the grey broke —

Laid the grief on them before a single word spoke —

Shook the shields above their beds till the hall-roof shook —

Said: your sister's in the ground — go — that's the outlook.

They knew the armor — iron-sewn — the making —

They knew what Jörmunrekkr's hall was taking —

They looked at me with Sigurðr's eyes — unbreaking —

And rode south into the dark without forsaking.

Pre-Chorus — both

Hamðir: we killed Erpr on the road in anger —

(wrong choice...)

Guðrún: I heard it in my bones — the danger —

(knew it...)

Both: the third arm we needed — cut by our own rancor —

Andvari's curse still running — every link and anchor. (uh!)

Chorus — both

She woke us for a death we'd already accepted (already accepted!)

Iron on the body — blades deflected (blades deflected!)

Rode to Jörmunrekkr's hall — fully weaponed (fully weaponed!)

Hamðismál — the Völsung end perfected! (Hu-ha!)

Verse 2 — Hamðir

Sörli at my shoulder when we hit the courtyard —

Iron-sewn — no blade was finding our regard.

We moved through Jörmunrekkr's hall like the graveyard

Had sent us back with one instruction — hit hard.

I took the hands — both — at the wrist-joint clean —

Sörli took the feet — the blood between

The rushes on the floor — the king still screaming —

A limbless king on his throne — that's the intervening.

We had him — headless next — that was the ending —

But Erpr's hands weren't there — our own offending

On the road cost us — the third arm's lending

Would have closed the deal — one choice — and the un-mending.

An old man appeared — one eye in the firelight —

I knew him — we both knew — the Allfather's twilight

Trick: stone them — iron won't bite — and the night-right

Came down on us in rocks before the first light.

Sörli fell first — I caught him going under —

Held him while the stones came — felt the thunder

Of the last Völsung blood split asunder —

Said: we struck well — that's the only wonder.

Pre-Chorus — both

Hamðir: we killed Erpr on the road in anger —

(wrong choice...)

Guðrún: I heard it in my bones — the danger —

(knew it...)

Both: the third arm we needed — cut by our own rancor —

Andvari's curse still running — every link and anchor. (uh!)

Chorus — both

She woke us for a death we'd already accepted (already accepted!)

Iron on the body — blades deflected (blades deflected!)

Rode to Jörmunrekkr's hall — fully weaponed (fully weaponed!)

Hamðismál — the Völsung end perfected! (Hu-ha!)

Bridge — trading

Guðrún: I stood at the threshold of every loss the gold made —

(every loss...)

Sigurðr — brothers — daughter — sons — the gold's trade —

(all of them...)

Andvari cursed the metal and the bloodline paid —

(paid it all...)

I am the last one standing in the gold's cascade.

Hamðir: we knew at the gate what we were riding into —

(knew it cold...)

Sörli looked at me — the same eyes — see through —

(saw it clear...)

We didn't go for victory — we went to undo

The debt Svanhildr's trampling put us to.

Both: the hands and feet were enough — heads would've been more —

(would've been...)

Erpr would have taken the head — that's the sore —

(Erpr's hands...)

Three brothers — three strikes — instead of two — the floor

Of Jörmunrekkr's hall would've held one last score.

(Skál to Hamðir! Skál — he struck well in the end!)

(Skál to Guðrún! Skál — the last the gold condemned!)

Drop — Instrumental

Chorus — both

She woke us for a death we'd already accepted (already accepted!)

Iron on the body — blades deflected (blades deflected!)

Rode to Jörmunrekkr's hall — fully weaponed (fully weaponed!)

Hamðismál — the Völsung end perfected! (Hu-ha!)

Outro

(Hamðismál! Hamðismál!)

The stones came before the sun...

(Hu-ha!)

The last Völsung blood.

The gold is spent.

Sörli fell first.

I held him.

We struck well.

(That was enough

to close

the cycle.)