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The Ritual (feat. Merle Dandridge, Laura Bailey)

from Stray Gods by Austin Wintory, Tripod & Montaigne

/

lyrics

We let them rise
We let it happen
We waited far too long
We thought we shouldn’t intervene
We were wrong
We were wrong

Since the beginning we were hidden
We held court from up above
T’was the Golden age of reason
And I, the Queen of Love

But a plague of hate was spreading
And there were vultures standing by
Before we fell to our knees begging
We fell from the sky

We let them rise
We let it happen
We waited far too long
We thought we shouldn’t intervene
We were wrong
We were wrong

Our so-called brother, Ares
Sold his soul forevermore
For he so loved the military
He became their dog of war
He denounced his loving family
And with mortal guns and greed
On a plate gladly delivered
Everything that war dogs need

He betrayed us and we let him
With their mortal souls long gone
We thought we were untouchable
We were wrong
We were wrong

I can feel we have the vigor
Of an idol coming in
Be wary as they’ll find you too
And tear you limb from limb
Torture you and spit at you
Parade you in a square
I thought my life was over
Then a God answered my prayer

The man that I ignored
Saved me when I fell
Yes, the husband I abhorred
Rescued me from hell

I thought it was a joke when it was said to me
He struck a deal with our enemy’s enemy
Made a secret weapon, so my captors let me go

He gave up his freedom leaving just a memory
And this love I’ll never know is what he gave to me

I can see everything
It’s interesting
Why you feel so blue
Because of the horror show
From long ago
There ain’t no getting through
A husband who sacrificed
And paid the price for you to be free
Wherever he is right now
You’d think somehow that—

Excuse me?

Sorry, I’m on a roll.

I don’t pretend to know the mind of a god
That’s something I never thought I’d say
I’m not the only one here who wants to know
Is leaving now the only way to go?

Oh my God
Here we go
Another crow out on the fence
Squawking, quibbling
Oh, how I loathe such innocence
Behold, the mind of a child
Let’s not laugh or ridicule the girl
This ritual is a tradition now, you know
Embrace it
It’s the only way to go

Don’t you write anything down?
Is there a statue of Hephaestus in town?
Or is history just a record
That slowly gathers dust
You’ve got to turn it up loud
So the player doesn’t rust
Because I find this story so unique
I’ll sing in plain-speak

Your rest leaves the rest of your family stressed and depressed
They repress, so will only digress
I’m impressed by the sense of occasion, I guess,
But this mess of a quest to possess is grotesque
It’s happened to me and I’ll never know
When Calliope inside of me surfaces
So, I request that your guests reassess the process
And unless you address all this godly excess
We’ll continue to guess while you repossess
And I won’t acquiesce till a change manifests
I’m out....

Sometimes taking a breath’s the only way to go
Considering the options left, it's the only way to go
What is the only way to go?

I’m stunned (Aphrodite)
By the arrogance (You’re mighty)
But eloquence sparks something in me
If you honestly (If you proceed)
Can promise me (We guarantee)
All the help I need (All the help you need)

I’ll be the kind of a god (You’ll be the kind of a god)
You’ll worship and adore like before
Thank you, Venus
A brilliant cameo

And together we will face it
Because forgetting won’t erase it
Moving on’s the only way to go
The only way to go

credits

from Stray Gods, released August 10, 2023
Cowritten by Austin Wintory & Tripod
Produced by Austin Wintory & Joris Hoogsteder

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Austin Wintory Los Angeles, California

25% (or more) of the income here is used to support the non-profit Education Through Music - Los Angeles (www.etmla.org).

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