Empire Of The Clouds chords by Iron Maiden

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Key: Em

Difficulty: Intermediate

Chords:
    Em D/F# D     D5     Dsus2  Am  G  Fmaj7   F   C   E5 D9(6)\ch: Cmaj7
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:
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |D |D |

|Em |Em  D5 Em |Em  D |C |Em | (2x)

|Am |G |Em |Fmaj7 | (2x)

|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |D |D |


Intro:
    Em                                       D5 Em
To ride the storm to an empire of the clouds
                          D                   C           Em
To ride the storm, they climbed aboard their silver ghost
Em                                            D5 Em
To ride the storm to a kingdom that will come
                       D               C     Em
To ride the storm and damn the rest oblivion


Verse 1:
Am                         G
Royalty and dignitaries, brandy and cigars
      Em
Grey lady giant of the skies
     Fmaj7
You hold them in your arms
     Am
The millionth chance they laughed
         G
To take down his majesty's craft
   Em                            Fmaj7
To India they say magic carpet float away
    Fmaj7
An October fateful day


Movement 2: 03:10-06:58:


Instrumental:
|Em |Em |Dsus2  C |Em | (2x)


Verse 2:
                 Em
Mist is in the trees
Em
Stone sweats with the dew
             Dsus2    C              Em
The morning sunrise, red before the blue
                Em
Hanging at the mast, waiting for command
              Dsus2        C  Em
His Majesty's airship, the R101


Verse 3:
           Am
She's the biggest vessel built by man
   G
A giant of the skies
    Em                         Fmaj7
For all you unbelievers, the Titanic fits inside
 Am                               G
Drum roll tight her canvas skin, silvered in the sun
       Em                            Fmaj7
Never tested with the fury, with the beating yet to come
     Fmaj7
The fury yet to come


Verse 4:
                  E5
In the gathering gloom
          E5               D9(6) E5
The storm rising in the west
              E5
The coxswain stared
  D9(6)\ch:           Cmaj7         E5
Into the plunging weather glass


Verse 5:
E5
We must go now
        E5            D9(6) E5
We must take our chance with fate
E5
We must go now
       D9(6)        Cmaj7        E5
For a politician, he can't be late


Verse 6:
     Am                            G
The airship crew awake for thirty hours at full stretch
          Em
But the ship is in their backbone
       Fmaj7
Every sinew, every inch
     Am                           G
She never flew at full speed, a trial never done
     Em                       Fmaj7
Her fragile outer cover her Achilles would become
    Fmaj7
An Achilles yet to come


Verse 7:
               E5 D9(6) E5
Sailors of the sky,
            E5 D9(6) E5
A hardened breed
             D9(6)      Cmaj7    E5
Loyal to the king and an airship creed
             E5 D9(6) E5
The engines drum,
              E5  D9(6) E5
The telegraph sounds
            D9(6)     Cmaj7           E5
Release the cords that bind us to the ground


Verse 8:
          Am
Said the coxswain
                           G
"Sir, she's heavy, she'll never make this flight"
          Em
Said the captain
                          Fmaj7
"Damn the cargo, we'll be on our way tonight"
 Am
Groundlings cheered in wonder
        G
As she backed off from the mast
    Em                             Fmaj7
Baptizing them her water from the ballast fore and aft
         Fmaj7
Now she slips into our past


Movement 3: 06:58-15:12:


Instrumental Interlude:
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |D |

|E5 |E5 |C5 |B5 |A5 |G5 |

|G |G |Em |Em |C |C |G |G | (2x)
|G |G |Am |Bm |C |D |Em |Em |

|E5 |E5 |

|Am |C |Em |C | (3x)
|Am |C |Em |Em |

|Em |Em |Em |Em C |Em |Em |C |Am |

|D |C |Em |Em |Em |Em |
|Em |C |Am |C | (2x)
|D |C |Em |Em |Em |Em |
|Em |C |Am |C | (4x)

|Em |C |Am |C  D | (2x)

|Em |Em |C |Am | (2x)
|D |C |Em |Em |Em |Em |
|Em |C |Am |C | (2x)
|D |C |Em |Em |C |Am |

|Am |F |Dm |F | (6x)


Verse 9:
Em
Fighting the wind as it rolls you
C
Feeling the diesels that push you along
Am
Watching the channel below you
C               D
Lower and lower into the night
Em
Lights are passing below you
C
Northern France asleep in their beds
Am
Storm is raging around you
C                   D
A million to one, that's what he said


Instrumental Break:
|Em |Em |D |D |C |C |Em |Em | (2x)


Verse 10:
Em
Reaper standing beside her
C
With his scythe cuts to the bone
Am
Panic to make a decision
   C               D
Experienced men asleep in their graves
    Em
Her cover is ripped and she's drowning
C
Rain is flooding into the hull
  Am
Bleeding to death and she's falling
C                D
Lifting gas is draining away


Instrumental Break:
|Em |Em |D |D |C |C |Em |Em |

|F |Em |F |Dsus2 |F |Em |F |C  Dsus2 |
|F |F |F |F |


Movement 4: 15:12-18:02:


Verse 11:
Am
"We're down lads" came the cry
      G
Bow plunging from the sky
       Em                           Fmaj7
Three thousand horses silent as the ship began to die
     Am                          G
The flares to guide her path, ignited at the last
    Em
The empire of the clouds
     Fmaj7
Just ashes in our past, just ashes at the last


Instrumental:
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D Em |
|Em  D/F# |Em  D |


Verse 12:
E5              D9(6)     Cmaj7       D9(6)
Here lie their dreams as I stand in the sun
        E5             D9(6)        Cmaj7      D9(6)
On the ground where they built and the engines did run
      E5             D9(6)
To the moon and the stars
   Cmaj7       D9(6)
Now what have we done?
          E5         D9(6)         Cmaj7      D9(6)  Em  D/F#  Em  D
Oh, the dreamers may die, but the dreams live on
Em             D/F#  Em  D
Dreams live on,
         Em    D/F#  Em  D Em   D/F#  Em  D
Dreams live on


Instrumental Break:
|Em |Em |Dsus2  C |Em |

Outro:
                   Em
Now a shadow on a hill, the angel of the east
                  Dsus2       C        Em
The empire of the clouds may rest in peace
                   Em
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 |