Changing of the Guards

16 years (16 years)
 16 banners united over the fields (over the fields)
 Where the good shepherd grieves
 Desperate men (desperate men)
 Desperate women divided
 Spreading their wings (spreading their wings)
 'Neath the falling leaves
 Fortune calls (fortune calls)
 I stepped forth from the shadows, to the marketplace (marketplace)
 Merchants and thieves hungry for power
 My last deal gone down (last deal gone down)
 She's smelling sweet like the meadows
 Where she was born (where she was born)
 On midsummer's eve, near the tower
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 The cold-blooded moon (cold-blooded moon)
 The captain waits above the celebration
 Sending his thoughts (sending his thoughts)
 To a beloved maid
 Whose ebony face (ebony face)
 Is beyond communication
 The captain is down, but still believing that his love will be repaid
 They shaved her head (shaved her head)
 She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo
 A messenger arrived (messenger arrived)
 With a black nightingale
 I seen her on the stairs (seen her on the stairs)
 And I couldn't help but follow, follow her down
 Past the fountain where they lifted her veil
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 I stumbled to my feet (stumbled to my feet)
 I rode past destruction in the ditches
 With the stitches still mending
 'Neath a heart-shaped tattoo
 Renegade priests (renegade priests)
 And treacherous young witches
 Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you
 The palace of mirrors (palace of mirrors)
 Where dog soldiers are reflected
 The endless road (endless road)
 And the wailing of chimes
 The empty rooms (empty rooms)
 Where her memory is protected
 Where the angel's voices whisper
 To the souls of previous times
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 She wakes him up (wakes him up)
 48 hours later, the sun is breaking
 Near broken chains (broken chains)
 Mountain laurel and rolling rocks
 She's begging to know (begging to know)
 What measures he now will be taking
 He's pulling her down and she's clutching
 On to his long golden locks
 "Gentlemen", he said (gentleman, he said)
 "I don't need your organization"
 "I've shined your shoes" (shined your shoes)
 I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
 But Eden is burning (Eden is burning)
 Either get ready for elimination
 Or else your hearts must have the courage
 For the changing of the guards
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 Peace will come (peace will come)
 With tranquility and splendor
 On the wheels of fire (wheels of fire)
 But will offer no reward
 When her false idols fall (false idols fall)
 And cruel death surrenders
 With its pale ghost retreating
 Between the king and the queen of swords