Matthew Sweet - Cortez the Killer Lyrics

He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
And the palace in the sun

On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wandered
With the secrets of the worlds

And his subjects gathered round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In his clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see

And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on

Now hate was just a legend
And war was never known
People worked together
And they lifted many stones

They carried them to the flatlands
But they died along the way
And they built up with their bare hands
What we still can't do today

And I know she is living there
And she loves me to this day
I can't remember when
Or how I lost my way

He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez, what a killer