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Ballad of Cham Syndulla

This article is about the song. You may be looking for the webcomic in which it appears.

Ballad of Cham Syndulla

Attribution
Author(s)	Gobi Glie^[1]
Publication information
Released	21 BBY^[2]
Type	Ballad^[1]
General information
Genre(s)	Biographical^[1]
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era^[1]

[Source]

"Don't shrug off your role. The minstrel's song outlasts any truth, Cham. It holds more energy than any mere blaster bolt, for it cannot be stopped by a warm body."

―Gobi Glie to Cham Syndulla, on the power of a legend^[src]

The "Ballad of Cham Syndulla" was a song written in 21 BBY by the Twi'lek minstrel Gobi Glie on the planet Ryloth during the Clone Wars. It honored Twi'lek Cham Syndulla, who formed and led the freedom fighters, a group of his supporters, to combat against the Confederacy of Independent Systems after its invasion and subjugation of Ryloth.

1 Origins
2 Lyrics
3 Behind the scenes
4 Appearances
5 Notes and references
6 External links
- 6.1 In other languages

OriginsEdit

"You sing a song of a legend. I'm just a soldier, Gobi."
"Soldiers, we have by the dozens and are still outnumbered. But our foes have no legends; that's where we dwarf them."

―Cham Syndulla and Gobi Glie^[src]

In 21 BBY,^[2] during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Separatist Council member and Techno Union foreman, Wat Tambor, sought to steal the treasures of fellow Council member and Corporate Alliance Magistrate, Passel Argente. The treasures had been pilfered from Confederate-conquered worlds, and Argente had taken them to the planet Ryloth to be concealed.^[3]

Tambor invaded the planet and placed its Twi'lek inhabitants under a harsh rule,^[4] and the Confederacy's subjugation of the planet led Twi'lek Cham Syndulla to form a group of his admirers for combat against the Confederacy. Syndulla and his fighters engaged the Confederate droid forces on the plains of Cazne. However, the resistance lost many lives, and the increasing number of Confederate battle droids forced the Twi'leks to go into hiding. Syndulla and his forces took refuge under several destroyed Confederate C-9979 landing craft and Multi-Troop Transports on the plains, although they continued to fight and ambush battle droid patrols.^[5]

While they took shelter, Syndulla's friend, the Twi'lek minstrel Gobi Glie, composed the "Ballad of Cham Syndulla" to further inspire the freedom fighters' efforts. The song included Syndulla's antagonistic views of Ryloth's Twi'lek senator, Orn Free Taa,^[1] whom Syndulla believed to be uncaring of the Twi'leks' fate on Ryloth while he remained on the galactic capital of Coruscant, headquarters of the Galactic Senate.^[5] The ballad also illustrated Syndulla's exploits and leadership of the resistance, as well as the resistance's first engagement with the Confederate forces at Cazne. Syndulla was opposed to the song and believed that it inaccurately portrayed him as a legend rather than an ordinary soldier, while Glie himself believed that the potential of inspirational leaders was an advantage the Twi'leks had over the Confederate droids.^[1]

LyricsEdit

Huddle 'round, Ryloth children,

By history's wan light,

Hear now of the exploits of Cham Syndulla

Did you know, Ryloth children,

Of history's grand fight,

Of the villains sent scurrying by Cham Syndulla

Feared by the corrupt and loved by the free

Unshackling our Ryloth for you and for me

Spine stronger and straighter than time-tested spiree

He took the first stand 'gainst tyrants and liars

"Ryloth for Twi'leks," his war-cry would haunt

The plump baron and leechee from far Coruscant

These words kept us starved and stole from our larder

But Cham said "No more," kept filled by his ardor

So hear now, Ryloth children,

Of what was to come

Hear now of the challenge to Cham Syndulla

Do you hear, Ryloth children,

The Separatist war drum

And how it was answered by Cham Syndulla

A new war came to Ryloth, it dropped from the skies

An old greed, an old hunger, wrapped in a new guise

In the midst of our war 'gainst the rich for the poor

The terrible Clone Wars arrived at our door

Droids preyed on the innocents, the sick and the old

Mechanical murder, a murder most cold

It made no difference what flag our foes flew

For Cham rallied our forces, charging boldly anew

In our warrens, Ryloth children,

We gather and hide

But still hear the call of Cham Syndulla

We aren't lost, Ryloth children,

We will turn the tide

By following into battle Cham Syndulla

Our brothers have fallen, tread upon by steel feet

We buried their bodies, we tasted defeat

Though we have been pushed back, our resistance won't fall

We're twice again in might, with headtails to the wall

We will continue the fight, with blasters and knives

With teeth bared and fists balled, we fight for our lives

Cham will free Ryloth, our home soil we hold dear

He will bring us our victory and teach droids how to fear

Behind the scenesEdit

The "Ballad of Cham Syndulla" was structured in three sets of a refrain and two verses each. The refrains were composed of two three-line sections, following a rhyming pattern of ABCABC, while the verses were quatrains and followed a rhyming pattern of AABB.^[1]

The "Ballad of Cham Syndulla" was introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars webcomic of the same name, which led directly into "Liberty on Ryloth," an episode in the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.^[6] The ballad portrayed the character of Cham Syndulla, who previously appeared in the webcomic Covetous and went on to appear in "Liberty on Ryloth."