Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Procol Harum's Conquistador was originally recorded in 1967. The song became a hit in 1972 when the band released their ground-breaking live album with the rock band performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Recreating this in my basement during a global pandemic actually turned out to easier than I expected and I was able to the lead guitar in one take and the rhythm guitar in two takes. It was at that point that I realized that this was 50th year playing that solo!
Gary Brooker and Keith Reid wrote the song from the point of view of the narrator who has just discovered the body of a dead conquistador lying on a beach. No doubt the body was partially embedded in the sand and obviously not long after death or the corpse would not attract a vulture, nor would the "stallion" still be nearby. He at first jeers at the irony of the failure of the Conquistador's imagined mission, and the desolation of the scene and his corpse, but on reflection regrets his mockery and offers pity for the lonely and futile fate of the conquistador, "You did not conquer, only die." The refrain consists of the morose couplet:
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no lace to unwind
Do you play drums? You can jam along to this tune here ... youtu.be/b9BSzokyb9s
Do you play guitar? You can jam along to this tune here ... youtu.be/oDfT-kv5rTs
Do you sing? You can sing along to this tune here ... youtu.be/rSo855kizGk
Do you sing and play guitar? You can sing and play along to this tune here ... youtu.be/bP7erXJzVXI
Sorry, I didn't do a mix without the Oboe!
Lyrics
=====
Conquistador your stallion stands
In need of company
And like some angel's 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
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
Though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
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 aureole
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
Though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Procol Harum's Conquistador was originally recorded in 1967. The song became a hit in 1972 when the band released their ground-breaking live album with the rock band performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Recreating this in my basement during a global pandemic actually turned out to easier than I expected and I was able to the lead guitar in one take and the rhythm guitar in two takes. It was at that point that I realized that this was 50th year playing that solo!
Gary Brooker and Keith Reid wrote the song from the point of view of the narrator who has just discovered the body of a dead conquistador lying on a beach. No doubt the body was partially embedded in the sand and obviously not long after death or the corpse would not attract a vulture, nor would the "stallion" still be nearby. He at first jeers at the irony of the failure of the Conquistador's imagined mission, and the desolation of the scene and his corpse, but on reflection regrets his mockery and offers pity for the lonely and futile fate of the conquistador, "You did not conquer, only die." The refrain consists of the morose couplet:
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no lace to unwind
Do you play drums? You can jam along to this tune here ... youtu.be/b9BSzokyb9s
Do you play guitar? You can jam along to this tune here ... youtu.be/oDfT-kv5rTs
Do you sing? You can sing along to this tune here ... youtu.be/rSo855kizGk
Do you sing and play guitar? You can sing and play along to this tune here ... youtu.be/bP7erXJzVXI
Sorry, I didn't do a mix without the Oboe!
Lyrics
=====
Conquistador your stallion stands
In need of company
And like some angel's 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
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
Though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
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 aureole
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
Though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
