Woodland Rites, by GREEN LUNG (2024)

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(Instrumental)

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At the gloaming on Walpurgis nightIn the forest you saw our fires alightThe trees were talking, they whispered your nameDarkness was falling as you walked towards the flamesOh yeah!Now you stand before the signYeah, you can’t believe your eyesDancing naked in the nightWon’t you join our woodland rites?Our woodland ritesChristian woman, you couldn’t resistSo you came closer, just to catch a glimpseWhat you saw, you’ll never forgetIn black smoke the form of BaphometOh yeah!Now you stand before the signIs this all in your mind?Dancing naked in the nightWon’t you join our woodland rites?Our woodland ritesYou wake up in the morning sunNo memory of what was doneAnd you cannot understandWhy there’s blood upon your handsNow you stand before the signYeah, you know that it’s your timeDancing naked in the nightWon’t you join our woodland rites?Our woodland ritesCome, join our rites…Our woodland rites!

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You’ve spent your whole life in the service of GodDown on your two knees to save your soulWe’ve been watching, everything you doOur Lord and Master has great plans for youSister, you’ve been toldThat making love’s a sinOpen your heartAnd let the devil inSister, can’t you seeHis mark upon your skinOpen your heartAnd let the devil inCome to the last house on the left of the streetIn the red room our circle will meetWear nothing more than a long black hoodAnd a pendant of tannis rootSister, you’ve been toldThat making love’s a sinOpen your heartAnd let the devil inSister, you can try to fightYou know you’ll never winOpen your heartAnd let the devil inLet him inLet the devil inSister, you’ve been toldThat making love’s a sinOpen your heartAnd let the devil inSister, let it go!Give yourself to himOpen your heartAnd let the devil inLet him inLet the devil in

4.

In time you will seeWhat’s behind the leavesCarved in bark, the devil’s markFollow me to the Ritual TreeIf you come down to old Hagley WoodWho knows what you might find?See the black candles lighting the wayThrough the branches entwinedIn time you will seeWhat’s behind the leavesCarved in bark, the devil’s markFollow me to the Ritual TreePast the dark rows of oak, ash and thornTo the twisted Wych elmWith its trunk hollowed out and deformedLike some gateway to HellIn time you will seeWhat’s behind the leavesCarved in bark, the devil’s markFollow me to the Ritual TreeShe is waiting here beneath the boughsDo you dare look inside?Hand of Glory is pointing at youAnd there’s nowhere to hideIn time you will seeWhat’s behind the leavesCarved in bark, the devil’s markFollow me to the Ritual TreeWho put Bella in the Wych elm?I’ll never tell

5.

Inside our tombs we dead awaitIn endless gloom we contemplateWe shall return, as prophesiedSo break the curse and we will riseOnce we were knightsIn the service of ChristNow to Satan swornOn this unholy nightUnder the pale moonlight We will be rebornTemplar dawnTemplar dawnFor centuries our cult has grownNow they will raise our blackened bonesCursed by the king, burned at the stakeSeeking revenge, we now awakeOnce we were knightsIn the service of ChristNow to Satan swornOn this unholy nightUnder the pale moonlight We will be rebornTemplar dawnGrand Master!Ride out!Out of the crypt, we ride againTo lay waste to the world of menOur eyes are blind, our flesh decayedBut still we wage our black crusadeOnce we were knightsIn the service of ChristNow to Satan swornOn this unholy nightUnder the pale moonlight We will be rebornTemplar dawn

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I heard them callingAt witching hour, just before the dawnI had the feelingThat I had heard their song somewhere beforeDeep in the marrowThat melody awoke something in meAn ancient evilAt once I knew I had to set it freeFrom the field and the furrowsAnd from the treesI hear the call of the covenCalling to meAt the height of the summerOn solstice eveI hear the call of the covenCalling to meI tried to fight itOh how I begged, I pleaded and I prayedBut it was too lateIn a stupor I was drawn toward the gladeSomnambulatingI couldn’t tell what was real or a dreamThere in the clearingSkyclad, they were beckoning to meFrom the field and the furrowsAnd from the treesI hear the call of the covenCalling to meAt the height of the summerOn solstice eveI hear the call of the covenCalling to meCalling… calling… calling to meSo begins the SabbathWitches whirling up into the skyI am their captiveThey will force me to conceive their demon childFrom the field and the furrowsAnd from the treesI hear the call of the covenCalling to meAt the height of the summerOn solstice eveI hear the call of the covenCalling to me

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I’ve seen the birds fall from the skyI’ve seen the harvest wither and dieAnd now I know our prayers have all been in vainWe must invoke the Old Gods to bring back the rainWake her at dawn, bring her down to the bowerRobe her in white, crown her with funeral flowersJoin the parade, oh follow her through fields of dustBecause tonight we must bless the same soil with her bloodMay QueenChosen OneDaughter of the SunMay QueenChosen OneNow your time has comeAs dusk descends, we climb the black hill to the stonesThe sun sets blood red as she takes up her wicker throneFlames flicker high as our torches are put to the pyreHer reign will end, as her body is fed to the fireMay QueenChosen OneDaughter of the SunMay QueenChosen OneNow your time has come

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Spent all winter waitingFor the sun to ariseLonging for isolationFor the starlit skiesDreaming of the forestThe whispering pinesSoon as the summer comesI will step out of timeNow I’m going out into the wildFor once in my life I feel aliveNow I find my way into the wildHere to stay until the day I dieTried to live the city lifeBut it came to no goodTried to be civilisedBut I never couldNever felt satisfactionNever felt at home‘Til I went to the woodsAnd I lived aloneNow I’m going out into the wildFor once in my life I feel aliveNow I find my way into the wildHere to stay until the day I dieNo sense of selfNo sense of timeHere I have foundSome peace of mindNow I am nothingI am nobodyAt the edge of nowhereI am finally freeUp here on the mountainI’ve got my own spaceFeel like I dropped outOf the human raceNo hope for mankindNo, they’ll never learnYeah, I’m going to sit backAnd watch the world burnNo sense of selfNo sense of timeHere I have foundSome peace of mindNow I am nothingI am nobodyAt the edge of nowhereI am finally free