Conquistador your stallion stands
In need of company
And like some angels haloed brow
You reek of purity
I see your armour-plated breast
Has long since lost its sheen
And in your death mask 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 shield
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

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
(repeat& fade)
~ Procol Harem

This is my favourite song by Procol Harem; the mental image is pretty strong. It always makes me think of P.S. Shelley's poem Ozymandias: the would-be conqueror is defeated, and time has begun to erase the last evidence of his existence. Someone has come to see the conqueror, and his perspective of the great man is changed after seeing what he has become. The last verse, especially - there is no time... I leave now with regret... though you came with sword held high/ You did not conquer, only die - that's always been my favourite part because of the sense of powerlessness in both the conquistador and his viewer; the viewer came with the intention of jeering - making himself feel greater than this defeated warrior - but finds he cannot. It just makes me ..... wow. It's a great song.