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 |