Cortez the Killer
The Church Lyrics

He came dancing across the water
The arrival of the Spanish conqueror Cortez is portrayed as triumphant.

With galleons and his guns
Cortez brought with him the superior weaponry and technology of the European civilization.

Looking for the new world
Cortez saw himself as a pioneer searching for new lands to conquer.

A palace in the sun
Cortez envisioned himself as a king who would establish a new kingdom in the foreign lands.

On the shore lay Montezuma
Montezuma was the ruler of the Aztec empire that Cortez intended to conquer.

With his cocoa leaves and his pearls
The Aztecs had a wealth of natural resources, including cacao and pearls.

In his halls he often wondered
Montezuma was an intellectual who pondered the mysteries of the universe.

With the secrets of the worlds
Montezuma was curious about the world beyond his borders and sought knowledge.

And his subjects gathered 'round him
The Aztec people respected and revered their ruler.

Like the leaves around a tree
The Aztecs saw themselves as a part of nature and Montezuma as the embodiment of the tree of life.

In their coats of many colors
The Aztecs had a richly diverse culture, marked by colorful attire.

For the angry gods to see
The Aztecs believed in a pantheon of deities who needed to be appeased with sacrifices.

And the women all were beautiful
The Aztec women were renowned for their beauty and grace.

The men were tall and strong
The Aztec men were proud and warrior-like, possessing physical strength.

He offered life in sacrifice
The Aztecs saw sacrifice as a noble act, offered to the gods.

So that others could go on
Sacrifice was seen as a way to sustain life and ensure the survival of the community.

War was just a legend
The Aztecs had experienced peace for so long that they thought war was a thing of the past.

Hate was quite unknown
The Aztecs lived in harmony and had no concept of hate or animosity towards others.

And the people worked together
The Aztecs cooperated and collaborated to achieve their common goals.

And they lifted many stones
The Aztecs built impressive architectural structures using their labor and ingenuity.

And they carried them to the flatlands
The Aztecs transported heavy building materials from the mountains to the plains.

And they died along the way
Many Aztecs lost their lives in the construction projects, but they did not give up.

But they raised up with their bare hands
The Aztecs were resourceful and resilient, using their bare hands to build monumental structures.

What we still can't do today
The achievements of the Aztecs remain awe-inspiring, even to modern civilization which has advanced technology.

And I know she's living there
The singer refers to a woman he loves who he believes is still living in this part of the world.

She loves me to this day
The singer believes the woman still has feelings for him after all this time.

I still don't know where
The singer has lost his way and is unsure of where the woman is located.

Or how I lost my way
The singer reflects on his past mistakes and regrets that led him to lose the love of his life.

Cortez, Cortez
The singer invokes the name of the conqueror to represent the arrival of a destructive force.

What a killer
The singer highlights the tragic consequences of the conquest on the Aztec civilization.