[Intro]
We learned to band together and endeavour
Clasp our hands together
Man developed language, letters
An incredible advantage, getting plans together
But would we stand the test of time
Against the planet's reckless climate
And its angry weather?

[Verse 1]
Spread the sails
And head west against the gales
And storms aboard Norse longboats
With decks as dense as nails
Our aim was riding waves
And finding, claiming strange horizons
Invading islands
Native populations slain with violence
Enslaved and made to aim skyward
Think of bigger things - sphinxes, pyramids
Raise them high in the name of different kings
The different things we've held sacred, divine
Through places and times
The range of supplications and rites
Through ages we find
Nations arise
As old civilizations [bad word] to dust [bad word] strangers in time, waiting to die
Replaced in the night
The day breaks and the light changes
Illuminating newer human faces as fights rage
The human race is facing the might
Of righteous states who would write
The history books even if it took a knife's blade
To find the right page
Sengoku Jidai
Men offered to die
For the honour of a warrior's life

[Verse 2]
The [bad word] and we're watching it rise
As a new era's here, it's as solid as iron
Pull the tongs from the fire
Strike the hammer to the anvil
Craft a weapon to bring an enemy to a standstill
The blacksmith is the wizard that gives us
These powers - devour enemies
Leaping down from the siege towers
The better the tech is
The lesser the effort to wreck it
The less time to see their eyes
And feel sympathetic
Never regret it
[bad word] knight never stays a [bad word] blade
Never says touché
But would forever lay in blue rays of weathered glades
To demonstrate his never-ending dedication
To the [bad word] Reformation through flame
And after the cremation is a new age
Time's quill is quick to spill its ink onto a new page

[Verse 3]
The faces are the same as when in days gone
But brains are cultivated thus creating
The Renaissance
We're still using steel tools to stay strong
Replacing blades with greater trades
Pen and paper, song
Faith in God is tested, hiding in the desert
Men excited, then enlightened by the scientific method
Tried describing its expression
By inscribing his impression
When applying it to heavenly bodies
That everybody reckoned
Must have been made by a creator or a greater force
Nature's author faced examination never faced before
The grace of horse and rider
Replaced by wars and violence
Debased the laws of science
Made the case for all the pious
Why is it progress always leads to loads of mess
The western region spread across the globe and coalesced
Settlers spread disease with effortless ease
Was it reckless or did it just happen inevitably?
While evidently we never can see
Through the lens of this century
But there's no retreating now
Whether or not it was meant to be

[Verse 4]
The seven seas were sailed
Navies prevailed
Leaving trails of devastation in their wake
As people wailed
world of wonder plundered traded in the name of progress
But human nature's way shows we should expect no less
Oh yes, [bad word] by the realisation this is just civilisation
In the natal stages of industrialisation, [bad word] me when I say
That previous achievements are just child's [bad word] to this colossal school of thought
We set the world ablaze with fossil fuel we bought
It's an epiphany
Giving us pretty much infinite energy
It's electricity
Edison, Nikola Tesla - different inventors
Giving us everything we depend on
Whether it's engines, cinema, television or [bad word] Sending a message and spreading it on
These unreal frontier channels
We develop the tech and then sell it on
The re