By the Sword Lyrics Slash with Andrew Stockdale

By the Sword Lyrics Slash

"By the Sword" is the first official single from Slash's solo album. It features Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother on vocals and was released as a single on March 1, 2010.

“It’s just a riff that I had that stuck with me. I think I came up with it here in the UK with Velvet Revolver at a soundcheck. A lot of the material on the record was written in hotel rooms during that last Velvet Revolver tour.

"Andrew’s phenomenal singer but I’d never met him before so I didn’t know who to fucking contact! And a friend of mine – Tom Zutaut, the guy that signed Guns N’ Roses to Geffen back in the eighties – got his number for me.

"Andrew happened to be in Hollywood working on Cosmic Egg, so I took an acoustic over there and we wrote the song together. I had this riff and a couple of chord changes and he changed a couple of chords for the chorus, it was just very organic. It’s a very cool song.”

It's probably only a coincidence to notice the first line of the lyric references riding horses like the U2 song but also that the third line refers to the U2 album, All that You Can't Leave Behind....

By the Sword Lyrics:


With the horses that you ride,
And the feelings left inside,


Comes a time you need to leave all that behind,


Well they claim they'd like to know,


And they'll fight you there to go,


And they're gatherin' around for all the show,






Well there is a reward,


To live and die by the sword,


Well they tried to complicate you,


But you left it all behind,


All the worldly possessions,


Are left for recollections,


And finally it's all gone!






They're releasing all the hounds,


What is lost can still be found,


When you're walking with your fear down on the ground,


Well there's those who choose to run


Following the setting sun,


And now it seems the journey's has begun,






Well there is a reward,


To live and die by the sword,


Well they tried to complicate you,


But you left it all behind,


All the worldly possessions,


Are left for recollections,


And finally it's all gone!






With the horses that you ride,


And the feelings left inside,


there's a time you need to leave it all behind,






Well there is no reward,


To live and die by the sword,


Well they tried to complicate you,


But you left it all behind,


All the worldly possessions,


Are left for recollections,


And finally it's all gone!

Check out the lyrics to Slash's Ghost recorded with Ian Asterbury from The Cult. Also why not read the Nothing to Say song lyrics.