Empire Of The Clouds

[Chords] e|--0---0---2-------------0-----0---3---0------1---0---0---0-----0--| B|--0---3---3--3----------3-----1---3---1------1---1---0---0-----0--| G|--0---2---2--2--or--7---2-----2---0---2------2---0---9---7-----5--| D|--2---0---0--0------7---0-----2---0---3------3---2---9---7-----5--| A|--2---x-------------5---------0---2---3------3---3---7---5-----3--| E|--0---2---------------------------3----------1--------------------| [Movement 1: 00:00-03:10] [Instrumental intro] |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | | | | |   |   | | | (x2) | | | | | (x2) |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | | | [Intro] To ride the storm to an empire of the clouds     To ride the storm they climbed aboard their silver ghost To ride the storm to a kingdom that will come     To ride the storm and damn the rest oblivion [Verse 1] Royalty and dignitaries brandy and cigars Grey lady giant of the skies You hold them in your arms The millionth chance they laughed To take down his majesty’s craft To India they say magic carpet float away An October fateful day [Movement 2: 03:10-06:58] [Instrumental] | | |Dsus2   | | (x2) [Verse 2] Mist is in the trees Stone sweats with the dew              Dsus2    C              Em The morning sunrise red before the blue Hanging at the mast waiting for command               Dsus2        C  Em His Majesty’s airship the R101 [Verse 3] She’s the biggest vessel built by man A giant of the skies For all you unbelievers the Titanic fits inside Drum roll tight her canvas skin silvered in the sun Never tested with the fury with the beating yet to come The fury yet to come [Verse 4] In the gathering gloom The storm rising in the west     The coxswain stared Into the plunging weather glass [Verse 5] We must go now We must take our chance with fate We must go now For a politician he can’t be late [Verse 6] The airship crew awake for thirty hours at full stretch But the ship is in their backbone Every sinew every inch She never flew at full speed a trial never done Her fragile outer cover her Achilles would become An Achilles yet to come [Verse 7] Sailors of the sky      A hardened breed      Loyal to the king and an airship creed The engines drum      The telegraph sounds     Release the cords that bind us to the ground [Verse 8] Said the coxswain "Sir she’s heavy she’ll never make this flight" Said the captain "Damn the cargo we’ll be on our way tonight" Groundlings cheered in wonder As she backed off from the mast Baptizing them her water from the ballast fore and aft Now she slips into our past [Movement 3: 06:58-15:12] [Instrumental Interlude] |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (x2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (x3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (x2) | | | | | | | | | | | | (x4) | | | |   | (x2) | | | | | (x2) | | | | | | | | | | | | (x2) | | | | | | | | | | | | (x6) [Verse 9] Fighting the wind as it rolls you Feeling the diesels that push you along Watching the channel below you Lower and lower into the night Lights are passing below you Northern France asleep in their beds Storm is raging around you A million to one that’s what he said [Instrumental Break] | | | | | | | | | (x2) [Verse 10] Reaper standing beside her With his scythe cuts to the bone Panic to make a decision Experienced men asleep in their graves Her cover is ripped and she’s drowning Rain is flooding into the hull Bleeding to death and she’s falling Lifting gas is draining away [Instrumental Break] | | | | | | | | | | | | |Dsus2 | | | |  Dsus2 | | | | | | [Movement 4: 15:12-18:02] [Verse 11] "We’re down lads" came the cry Bow plunging from the sky Three thousand horses silent as the ship began to die The flares to guide her path ignited at the last The empire of the clouds Just ashes in our past just ashes at the last [Instrumental] |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | |  / |   | [Verse 12] Here lie their dreams as I stand in the sun On the ground where they built and the engines did run To the moon and the stars Now what have we done? Oh the dreamers may die but the dreams live on                    Dreams live on           Dreams live on                             [Instrumental Break] | | |Dsus2   | | [Outro] Now a shadow on a hill the angel of the east                   Dsus2       C        Em The empire of the clouds may rest in peace And in a country churchyard laid head to the mast                  Dsus2     C             Em Eight and forty souls who came to die in France [Ending] |Dsus2  C |Em |