Эпическая баллада о Кортесе, приплывшем с галеонами и пушками, и о Монтесуме на берегу с листьями коки и жемчугом.
He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.
On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.
And his subjects
gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their 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.
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.
They carried them
to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up
with their bare hands
What we still can't do today.
And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way.
He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.
Знаете ли вы, что...
- Cortez the Killer была запрещена в Испании при Франко, так как Кортес считался там национальным героем. Когда альбом Zuma вышел в Испании после смерти Франко, песня была указана как просто «Cortez, Cortez». Янг утверждал, что написал песню, изучая историю в школе в Виннипеге. Guitar World поставил соло на 39-е место среди 100 величайших гитарных соло.