1. SHALLOW WATERS

She drifted ashore from foreign land
her grandness and pride had gone
All beat up and bruised by nature's hand
Her crew had been overthrown
Deadly and daunting she laid still, as darkness faded

In shallow waters she came to stay
Unloading illness from far away
Her maiden voyage, an extravagant ride
Abruptly ended, a turn of the tide

The orphan had seen her drift that night
Excited to climb onboard
He waited until the morning light
Brought a cross and his wooden sword

Such a bold, juvenile mind
No second thoughts of what he might find

In shallow waters she came to stay
Unloading illness from far away
Her maiden voyage, an extravagant ride
Abruptly ended, a turn of the tide

Inscriptions on the hull
Crossed bones and a skull
Did not deter this boy
A good adventure brought him joy

In shallow waters she came to stay
Unloading illness from far away
Her maiden voyage, an extravagant ride
Abruptly ended, a turn of the tide


2. PARIAH

So short of breath
He's running like the wind, not looking back
That morbid scenery
Forever it's engrained inside his mind

Rings and necklaces, shining pearls
Jewelry worthy kings and queens
No more would beggary confine his soul

Face down in the dirt
A second of remorse for what he's done
A glance towards the sky
Would the dead need all that gold at heavens door?

Rings and necklaces, shining pearls
Jewelry worthy kings and queens
Dust himself off, with conscience clean

Words of scorn, all he had ever heard
From the day he was born
Forced to a reclusive world

Death crawl in his trails
Relentlessly and silent
Flowing through his veins
To spread across the highlands
No-one could've foreseen
The tragedy to follow
The power of this fiend
Embed the world in horror

With pockets full of hope
Elated to tell of his fortune
For just once in his life, he felt alive

Rings and necklaces, shining pearls
Jewelry worthy kings and queens
Now, every step he takes...

Death crawl in his trails
Relentlessly and silent
Flowing through his veins
To spread across the highlands
No-one could've foreseen
The tragedy to follow
The power of this fiend
Embed the world in horror


3. DISTRUST

Bring the priest, we need him here
This hamlet's struck by sorcery
The blacksmith found them down by the sea
Blackened boils on all three

Dead at least for seven days
Made us contort in dismay
Alive or dead, come as they may
Such vicious acts make gallows sway

Find the ones who ever, have defied the words of god
Who can we trust, who's deceiving us?
Forces of the dark, persistently they sow discord
Let none scape, they shall burn!

Are we under spells of evil?
Save our poor souls, bring us
back to the light!

Don't lose your heads, keep calm and pray
The damage done we will repay

Who's the wolf in sheep clothing?
Blending in and changing skin
A plan to take us down one by one
From the shadows strike, and soon be gone

Find the ones who ever, have defied the words of god
Who can we trust, who's deceiving us?
Forces of the dark, persistently they sow discord
Let none scape, they shall burn!

We close our eyes as they turn to ashes
Bewrayed by the raging wind
We raise our hands to heaven, and hope for them
To reconsile and be let in


4. RIVERS RUN BLACK

A white cross is painted on every door
The sign of the times
Hallucinations, fever and pain
Is spreading like wildfire
The squeeking from carriages, laden with the dead
Is drowning all birdsong
Short graves are dug by desperate mothers
One last lullaby

The rivers run black
Unchanged and eternal
The sun brings a new day as we die
Meaningless, or a plan for a greater cause
Given no choice but no resign
And feed the earth, leave this world

The laughter of children have faded away
Their angelic voices died
As fools tell no tales, and the minstrel has silenced
Last glimmer of joy has gone

A dive from the cliffs of mercy
Into the sea of affliction
Lungs fill up and minds corrode
The beautiful life, a story unwritten
A tear-filled goodbye
Search for solace no more
What's been given will be taken back
And order is restored

The rivers run black
Unchanged and eternal
The sun brings a new day as we die
Meaningless, or a plan for a greater cause
Given no choice but no resign
And feed the earth, leave this world

Run black...
Meaningless...


5. THE FLAGELLANTS

Drag that cross, your borden to bear
Swing that scourge, don't let it rest
A procession of blood, for cleansing of sin
Let the three of redemption lick your skin

So many questions gather
And confusion clouds your mind
Why should you be punished?
Your wealth has always bought you free
But in these times of malady
One and all are all the same
Farmer, blacksmith, kingsman
All shall walk the path of shame

Chant the words of holiness
Hear them echo through the wind
Can they keep your soul in place?
Show devotion to him
What you reap is what you sow
Feel the loss of worthiness
Might just be it's your life that you owe...

Drag that cross, your borden to bear
Swing that scourge, don't let it rest
A procession of blood, for cleansing of sin
Let the three of redemption lick your skin

With heavy steps, be baritone feet
Minutes turn hours to days, then repeat
Fulfill this mission of yours
To red the wrath of god
Weakened... no healing

Hum your lamentation
A soothing rite for all your pain
From being the social top sheet
Then watch it all go down the drain


6. THE MESSENGER

How can I redeem myself?
Unaware, I feel from grace
I took a leap of faith
But landed outside the great gates of hell
With riches to sell

Oh, reckless boy...such misery
You wear the curse and won't be free
You are the messenger, delivering death
Still, alive you stand...with a steady breath

The lives we led in simplicity
Innocents, with hopes and dreams
Suddenly washed away, we drown in the flood
No gold can repay, or cease the mournful days


7. THE EMPIRIC

Come forth my friend, don't be afraid
I'm your last hope and you need my aid
Written in blood, my obligation
I'll take your pain, a full extrication
As options are scarce, my service appeals
Sceptics believe, believers are healed
Science become through trial and error
Light up the path for my honorable endeavor

You linger in a state of delirium
Intense anticipation

My voice shall bring you comfort
As the beak will point the way
I'm an improvising charlatan
Who's selling lies in a fearsome disguise

Let us proceed, this demon's invasive
A floral compound, to cleanse and erase him
If all else should fail, a bloodletting should do
Might take some time, but I promise to heal you

I'm feeding from your fear and despair
So secretly, I have my own agenda clear

Death has taken measurements
Your final suit is being made
Soon you won't feel anything
Or a lifetime of suffering
Skin so frail, like porcelain
I slice you up, my mannequin
A thin coating of mercury
Might draw evil rom out of thee

Infectious and foul, like a maggot you crawl,
Hold on to life, the most precious of all
But what is it worth?
Nobody could tell me
Needed to find out the secrets our bodies keep
I have my own agent clear...

My voice shall bring you comfort
As the beak will point the way
I'm an improvising charlatan
Who's selling lies in a fearsome disguise
For the dead and dying
A harbinger of doom
I'm an instrument with sharpened edge
The reliever, deceiver, make-believer


8. 1349

He'd been hiding behind those walls
So safe, riding out the storm
They swallowed his lies, while dropping like flies
Shown no sympathy
Then...Thrown down from his high damn horse
Blue blood could not break the fall
A fancy veneer, crackled by fear
His crown lost all it's might

Caught in the onslaught
1349
Would they all perish?
A vengeance divine?

Streets foul with human remains
A ll deprived of their dignity
God turned his back
They faded to black under his shadow
Deep down in the hole that he'd dug
Lay his pride and greed in the mud
Reality struck, infection came knocking on his door

Yersinia Pestis raved lands to west from east
The charnel houses filled u, rats enjoyed the feast
Far from it's former glory, the kingdom fell apart
A humiliated king drove the scepter through his heart

There laid by the cold stone walls
Eyes all teary in a hollow stare
And as darkness descended around him
All but solemnly, the end of his despair

Caught in the onslaught
1349
Would they all perish?
A vengeance divine?


9. BLOOD MOON

Tried to fill a void inside
To find my place and no more need to hide
My life had just begun
Temptation too strong
Evert minute far too long

I brought the darkness upon us all, by ignorance
Opened a golden chest, encircled by those who death caressed

It's been told that fortune favors the bold
But no...No more shall I run
Can't make it undone
Now, lost every ounce of hope
Seems clarity comes at the end of a rope

Blood moon, your warm light shines down on me
I do confess my sin, can you release me?
Blood moon, the snare contracts around my neck
A perfect night to see your calming beauty

Come rain, come shine or hell divine
I'll take anything now, I'm dying to resign
Guilt, the shadow weighing down my shoulders to the ground
Unbearably it grinds my mind

Trying to stay alive
Or alive to stay, fighting alone...

Blood moon, your warm light shines down on me
I do confess my sin, can you release me?
Blood moon, the snare contracts around my neck
A perfect night to see your calming beauty