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Ballad of Cham Syndulla

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"Ballad of Cham Syndulla"

Attribution information

Author(s)

Gobi Glie^[1]

Publication information

Release date

22 BBY^[2]

Type

Ballad^[1]

General information

Genre

Biographical^[1]

"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^[1]

The "Ballad of Cham Syndulla" was asong written in22 BBY by theTwi'lek minstrel Gobi Glie on theplanet Ryloth during theClone Wars. It honored Twi'lekCham Syndulla, who formed and led thefreedom fighters, a group of his supporters, tocombat against theConfederacy of Independent Systems after its invasion and subjugation of Ryloth.

Background[]

"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^[1]

In22 BBY,^[2] during theClone Wars between theGalactic Republic and theConfederacy of Independent Systems,Wat Tambor—theforeman of theTechno Union and a member of theSeparatist Council—sought to steal the treasures of fellow Council member,Corporate Alliance Magistrate Passel Argente. Tambor had pilfered the treasures from Confederate-conquered worlds, and Argente had taken them to theplanet Ryloth to be concealed.^[3]

Tambor invaded the planet and placed itsTwi'lek inhabitants under a harsh rule,^[4] and the Confederacy's subjugation of the world led the Twi'lekCham Syndulla to form agroup of his admirers forcombat against the Confederacy. Syndulla and his fightersengaged the Confederatedroid forces on the plains ofCazne. However, the resistancelost many lives, and the increasing number of Confederatebattle droids forced the Twi'leks to go into hiding. Syndulla and his forces took refuge under several destroyed ConfederateC-9979 landing craft andMulti-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'lekminstrel 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'leksenator,Orn Free Taa,^[1] whom Syndulla believed to be uncaring of the Twi'leks' fate on Ryloth while he remained on thegalactic capital ofCoruscant, headquarters of theGalactic Senate.^[5] The ballad also illustrated Syndulla's exploits and leadership of the resistance, as well as the insurgency'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 that the Twi'leks had over the Confederate droids.^[1]

Lyrics[]

Gobi2 — Gobi Glie, composer of the ballad

Attribution: The Ballad of Cham Syndulla^[1]

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 scenes[]

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 werequatrains and followed a rhyming pattern of AABB.^[1]

The "Ballad of Cham Syndulla" was introduced in theStar Wars: The Clone Wars webcomic of the same name, which led directly into "Liberty on Ryloth," an episode in thefirst season of theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series.^[6]