On a cold and misty night,
a ring of torches light the hallowed ground
where his father's laid to rest

In the reflection of a sword
he sees his destiny and he swears up to the sky -
"You will not have died in vain"

On the field - with sword and shield
amidst the din of dying man's wails
War is waged - and the battle will rage
until only the righteous prevail

From the shadows comes a man,
returning to his land - Winds of change
taint the sweet smell of home

And all around him, he can see
the pain and misery
this tyrant's reign is through
"I will stand and fight... Will you?"

A heart of gold pumps within his metal skin
A noble line he carries on

On the field - with sword and shield
amidst the din of dying man's wails
War is waged - and the battle will rage
until only the righteous prevail

I wish to stay...to be here with you
You were my strength...How can I go on?

On the field - with sword and shield
amidst the din of dying man's wails
War is waged - and the battle will rage
until only the righteous prevail


Lyrics submitted by Idan

Accolade II Lyrics as written by Michael Lepond Pinnella Michael

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Accolade II song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    This song reminds me a little of the Manowar style of Lyrics because it has a lot to do with courage and honor and dying for a noble cause. In this case it's the revenge of a father that hasn't died in vain and the son wants to stand and fight against a tyrant's reign.

    dylanrockson February 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    is it just me or does part of the chorus go along to the melody of Greensleeves? "Until only the right-eous prevail"

    Coruptednumberon October 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This one is wicked, just amazing. Sym X never disappoints it seems.

    Lateralus518on February 10, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is about the son of the original "Accolade"'s knight, who takes up his dead father's sword and shield against the tyranny his father set out to fight. It carries over a lot of the motifs and themes from the original song.

    The "From the shadows..." verse may mean that the father isn't really dead...

    RyAquaon June 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is just perfect. nothing more to say, really.

    Fabriciohsson July 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't agree with RyAqua about the "From The Shadows..." verse. I think it's about him going way for a long time (probably to fight some evil thing) and he comes back home and it's all changed. The best way to describe it is in Lord Of The Rings, when Frodo leaves The Shire, and when he returns from "the shadows" and The Shire is all different.

    But yes, this song does carry over a lot of themes for The Accolade, most notably the words "Heart of gold pumps within his metal skin, A noble line he carries on" which are also sung in The Accolade

    The_Communionon November 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    One thing that I find interesting is the abrubt change in tone from Accolade to Accolade II. The original was hopeful and kind of serene in its tone in spite of the tragic ending. Accolade II, on the other hand, is bitter and angry in its tone. Keep that in mind, it might be important.

    ThirdRevolutionon October 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    My interpretation is much different. I do agree that this is from the time period of the Crusades, and this is the son of the knight from Accolade. I think that the majority of this song takes place at the place of his father's burial, before a major battle, and then the battle takes place at the end of the song, from the solo onward. He returns to his father's burial place to pray before a major battle in a war against the tyrant talked about later. He is talking to his father's grave, describing what has transpired since his death. I believe he returned from the Crusades and returned to a turning point in history, the end of serfs and feudalism and the rise of kings. This is verified, in my opinion, by the line "The winds of change taint the sweet smell of home." The group returning decides to fight this new tyrant because they do not like this change. At the end, the son wants to stay with his father, his one true source of strength. He then goes off to battle, shown by the solo. The solo sounds during the calm to be almost like marching. Then a battle takes place during the later part of the solo. The song ends with the outcome of the battle unsure.

    evilchaos0813on July 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    Hello, folks! I'd like to offer some insight.

    Russell Allen confirmed that the lyrics to "The Accolade" were inspired by his job working as a jouster at Medieval Times. The album that the first accolade was produced on was released in 1997 - the same year that Medieval Times went bankrupt. It's likely that Allen wrote the lyrics before the closing, and after its closing, wrote this about Medieval Times, making it much more emotional for me.

    So all in all, Accolade was written after he quit his job as jouster for whatever reason. The place closes up, and he decides to make a less-obviously-about-Medieval-Times sequel to it, commemorating it.

    I like how ThirdRevolution put it in that case. "Accolade II, on the other hand, is bitter and angry in its tone." Indeed, my friend!

    VaelVictuson June 29, 2011   Link

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