[Intro]
No smoke from hearth
No bell from shore
The northern kingdom
Breathes no more

[Verse]
We walked through halls without a roof
Where snow had covered cups and bread
The dogs had vanished from the yards
The wells were choked with autumn dead
The banners hung in frozen rags
No color left for clan or king
And every doorway opened wide
To rooms where no one came to sing

[Pre-Chorus]
Step by step
Through silent stone
We learned what vengeance
Calls its own

[Chorus]
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
Fall like night upon the sea
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
This is what we chose to be
No throne, no feast, no victory flame
No child to carry on the name
Only the wind where songs were sung
Only the ash on every tongue

[Verse]
The ash tree stood with split black bark
Its roots exposed like wounded veins
The oath-stones cracked beneath its shade
Unfed by blood, unwashed by rains
We found the bride’s ring in the soot
We found the seeress’ broken staff
And all the things we called too weak
Were stronger than our war-born wrath

[Pre-Chorus]
Stone by stone
And name by name
The silence taught
The shape of shame

[Chorus]
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
Fall like night upon the sea
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
This is what we chose to be
No throne, no feast, no victory flame
No child to carry on the name
Only the wind where songs were sung
Only the ash on every tongue

[Instrumental]
Acoustic strings over distant drums
Then blackened guitars slowly come
Choirs rise like smoke from graves
Over the land no sword could save

[Bridge]
If wisdom lives, it lives too late
Inside the ribs of ruined fate
If peace can grow from salted ground
It starts where no proud voice is found

[Breakdown]
Ash on the cradle
Ash on the throne
Ash in the temple
Ash in the bone
Ash on the river
Ash in the lung
Ashes of all
We left unsung

[Build-up]
The red moon paled behind the cloud
As if ashamed to look aloud
And in that dimming, dying glow
We felt the first clean grief we know

[Chorus]
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
Fall like night upon the sea
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
This is what we chose to be
No throne, no feast, no victory flame
No child to carry on the name
Only the wind where songs were sung
Only the ash on every tongue

[Chorus]
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
May the living learn from thee
Ashes of the Northern Kingdom
May no blood feud bend the knee
No throne, no feast, no victory flame
No pride can sanctify this shame
Only the wind where songs were sung
Only the ash on every tongue

[Outro]
No smoke from hearth
No bell from shore
The northern kingdom
Breathes no more