One Signed Under the Cross

Sunrise, over the vast, city, of Jerusalem The holy, the sacred, the city of Christ Reclaimed by the forces of crusaders might Martyrs and soldiers and pilgrims we fight For salvation our sins are forgiven in time Much blood we will shed in the name of the cross Forgiven, our crimes, through sacrifice lost In Acre, baptism by iron we learned The enemies of god must be vanquished and burned Heathens and heretics, in all but name How many Christians were captured, enslaved The forces of Saladin ride in from the east With swords and with arrows we drive back these beasts Burning with heat from the Judea sun With steel we meet until battle is won One signed by the cross, we fight for our faith One signed by the cross, what price have we paid One signed by the cross, we give our own lives For land and for church, we leave none alive In the heat of the battle, flesh impaled upon my blade When my sword tasted blood, I knew this was my way Took up the blade, left those I loved Vowed to take up arms, for heaven above One signed by the cross, how far have we gone One signed by the cross, our journey yet long One signed by the cross, the battle rages on In the name of all of Christendom, we fight to save the city of God Would you know when you've been conquered Pushed back to the gates of hell We fight for more than home and country For eternal salvation, from mortal damnation The burning fields, a no-mans land From wild forests to desert sands This brutal world, cold and dark Crusader might will make its mark One signed by the cross, how far have we gone One signed by the cross, our journey yet long One signed by the cross, the battle rages on Over countless years of conquest I have wandered, fought, brought the sword But a few years of peace out of decades, and what for The sieges never end, dismantling walls, stone by stone Vanquishing the Saracens We cut through flesh, we smash through bone We offered protection to the pilgrims To the defenseless, on their holy journey To protect their wealth and riches And to guard their passage The barbarity of the world is often cruel and senseless Wanton, rampant We vow to protect the innocent We protect the whole of the masses Desert passage, guide my way Ancient secrets, hidden demons Desert passage, our knowledge deepens Dogmatic prophets slain Sermons of shame, preaching visions of doom Denouncing the common man, for his inaction Looking down from the castle bastion Leading the masses to their carnal tombs Led astray, from their normal lives Took control of their superstitions Their fears extolled, their thoughts surmised Some joined for glory, some joined for riches Holy preachers, guide our thoughts Keep the sheep confused, forever lost Tongue of fire, twist our words Burn our freedoms, let your lies be heard Scheming Kings, denounce the whole of the masses Wage your wars of conquest - no matter the cost Let the people suffer, let the fields burn Use the texts of the holy, let the pages turn To my homeland I finally return Having fought through and traveled through foreign places To come back to enemies, wearing familiar faces For the cause we have fought for is lost Has not brought us salvation but brought us ruination With the devil a game of chess For no man can live within the face of emptiness Macabre dance of death What will your move be