Conquistador your stallion stands in need of company
And like some angel's haloed brow
You reek of purity
I see your armor plated breast
Has long since lost its sheen
And in your death masked face
There are no signs which can be seen
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador a vulture sits, upon your silver sheath
And in your rusty scabbard now, the sand has taken seed
And though your jewel-encrusted blade
Has not been plundered still
The sea has washed across your face
And taken of its fill
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador there is no time, I must pay my respect
And though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
And as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
And though you came with sword held high
You did not conquer, only die
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And like some angel's haloed brow
You reek of purity
I see your armor plated breast
Has long since lost its sheen
And in your death masked face
There are no signs which can be seen
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador a vulture sits, upon your silver sheath
And in your rusty scabbard now, the sand has taken seed
And though your jewel-encrusted blade
Has not been plundered still
The sea has washed across your face
And taken of its fill
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador there is no time, I must pay my respect
And though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
And as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
And though you came with sword held high
You did not conquer, only die
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Lyrics submitted by rorschach81, edited by robnielsen, davo50, HahnFurst
Conquistador Lyrics as written by Keith Reid Gary Brooker
Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.
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You reek of purity - i've always been in love with that expression. it is scathingly ironic and full of vitriol while indicating a person who engages in evil yet believes themselves to be righteous. i know this person well. it describes my father perfectly. to boil that all down to the poetry of those four words and charge them with intensity is an accomplishment to be recognized.
Why? The lyrics refer to to a fallen warrior. "and like some angel's haloed brow you reek of purity", that sounds more like a warrior monk fighting the Islamic infidels and protecting the Holy Land pilgrims. These guys prayed and also fought bloody battles. Whereas the Spaniards raped, robbed and pillaged. Also sword and shields were more of a crusader choice of weapons: a vulture sits upon your silver shield and in your rusty scabbard now the sand has taken seed and though your jewel-encrusted blade has not been plundered still (no jewels at all on blades though - no vanity allowed). The Spaniards used guns and canons more that pikes and swords (rapiers).
Note also:
Conquistador there is no time
I must pay my respect
and though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
and as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no aureole
and though you came with sword held high
you did not conquer, only die
The Templars were jeered by the contemporary royal subjects of France when they were discredited (thanks to the two stooges King Philip the IV and Pope Clement V). Today the Templars are regarded as heros who were immensely done injustice against them considering their faithfulness and courage. These medieval warriors did not get to conquer, the Levant (Palestine), only occupied for a few centuries, in fact they lost the land to the Saracen infidels and a large number died in that dusty land. They fought knowing they might to die (or expected to die) but gain an entrance to Heaven (according to the belief they held). The Spanish explorers, unfortunatey to the North and South American indigenous inhabitants, did conquer the continents.
Historically, the conquistadors were swindled out of their gains by the Lawyers and Bureaucrats the King of Spain really trusted. A good number of conquistadors were scoundrels : mercenaries and criminals, who the King could never trust.
Maybe the title should have been Chevalier, not conquistador.
That all may be true, but it has not a goddamned thing to do with THIS song. This is about the desire of white men to be “gods”, to rule/murder - aka EXTERMINATE - All the “Brutes”.
This is about the Heart Of Darkness, and the darkness in the human heart. And the utter futility of this outlook on the world.
Woman: "breast... sheath... scabbard... aureolae"
Once beautiful: "silver... jewel... sheen"
Age/Loss of beauty: "lost its sheen.... vultures... death mask... rust... sand"
Chastity/Aloofness: "armor-plated breast (protecting her heart from injury and her body from view)... not plundered... did not conquer"
For some reason, he has come to mock her. Perhaps he is one of the suitors ("your stallion") she rejected all those years ago ("I hoped for something to find.. but could see no maze to unwind"), and he has come back to gloat. But instead, he is moved to pity by the sight of her wretchedness and loneliness.
When the Spaniards arrived in the New World they were seen by the Native people as aliens with white skin and facial hair. They had bad hygiene and stank horribly.
As such, the Native people followed them around with incense burners to mask the horrible smell. The Spaniards mistakenly interpreted this as a sign of reverence and a mark of holy honor.