"King's Man" Soundtrack Lyrics

"The King’s Man (Original Motion Picture Score)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you score a swaggering spy prequel set during World War I? By swapping synth swagger for orchestral steel. Matthew Margeson and Dominic Lewis build a big, old-world sound—firm brass, lyrical strings, martial percussion—and thread it with a few sly franchise callbacks. It’s less club, more cavalry.

Hollywood Records released the 24-cue score album digitally on December 22, 2021, day-and-date with the film. The end credits feature the separate original song “Measure of a Man” by FKA twigs featuring Central Cee (issued ahead of release); that single is not on the score album. According to label notes and composer interviews, the prequel’s period palette deliberately pivots from the previous films’ modern sheen to classic adventure writing.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Matthew Margeson and Dominic Lewis co-composed. It’s Margeson’s return to the series and Lewis’s first entry.

When did the album release and who issued it?

December 22, 2021 via Hollywood Records (digital). Runtime ~78 minutes across 24 cues.

Is there an original song?

Yes—FKA twigs & Central Cee’s “Measure of a Man,” heard over end credits; released as a standalone single (original and “Cinematic” versions).

Any period source music in the film?

Yes. Notably John McCormack’s recording of “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” (WWI standard) and selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker during the Rasputin sequence.

How is the prequel’s musical tone different from the first two films?

Less pop/synth; more classical adventure language—broad themes, choral/heroic writing, and battlefield textures.

What music was used in marketing but not in the film?

Trailers/promos featured “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath), AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” Boney M.’s “Rasputin,” and the folk tune “Kalinka.”

Notes & Trivia

• Score co-written over ~18–22 months, aided by multiple pandemic delays—unusually long for a studio feature.
• “Dance on Your Graves” on the album nods to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture within the cue design.
• Critics split: some called it the series’ best musical entry; others preferred the earlier films’ pop-forward swagger.
• The film premiered December 22, 2021; the score album arrived the same day.

Genres & Themes

• Orchestral adventure → founding-myth scale (“The King’s Man,” “Knights of the Roundtable”).
• Martial/choral colors → trench sequences and sacrifice (“Dulce et Decorum est,” “We Shall Not Sleep”).
• Dance-inflected villainy → balletic writing and Tchaikovsky for Rasputin’s duel (diegetic/non-diegetic interplay).
• Pastoral/lyrical strings → father-son tenderness before the war (“My Shepherd,” “The Promise”).

Tracks & Scenes

Timestamps vary by edition; placements below align with widely reported usage and album cue design.

“The King’s Man” — Matthew Margeson & Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Main title/establishing passages. Non-diegetic; introduces the noble adventure theme with brass declarations.
Why it matters: Franchise identity reset—period heroism over sleek spy pop.

“The Promise” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: Early father–son vows and duty framing. Non-diegetic; warm strings over restrained brass.
Why it matters: Seeds the story’s moral ledger—duty vs. protection.

“Savile Row” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: Tailor-shop groundwork for a future agency. Non-diegetic caper bustle.
Why it matters: Backstory of suits-as-cover, musically light on its feet.

“We Three Kings” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: Core trio set into motion. Non-diegetic adventure scherzo with crisp rhythmic cells.
Why it matters: Locks character interplay to a nimble motif.

“Silent Knife” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: Night infiltration and trench-front stealth. Non-diegetic tension writing (muted brass, col legno strings).
Why it matters: Suspense toolset without modern pulses—period feel preserved.

“Dulce et Decorum est” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: WWI horror focus and aftermath. Non-diegetic, dirge-laden harmonic turns.
Why it matters: Title invokes Owen’s poem; the cue underlines the film’s most somber turn.

“Victoria Cross” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: Recognition and reckoning scene late in the film. Non-diegetic; brass chorale with restrained triumph.
Why it matters: Honor shaded by cost.

“Knights of the Roundtable” — Margeson & Lewis
Where it plays: Founding-moment montage toward the close. Non-diegetic; theme consolidation and ceremonial cadence.
Why it matters: Myth-making, scored.

“It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” — John McCormack (1914 recording)
Where it plays: In-film WWI ambience; diegetic/period source within soldier context.
Why it matters: Era-true morale song; instantly locates the war front.

“Selections from The Nutcracker” — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Where it plays: Rasputin’s ballet-tinged confrontation. Non-diegetic (stylized fight choreography).
Why it matters: Classical glitter used as menace and parody—memorable set-piece color.

“Measure of a Man” — FKA twigs feat. Central Cee (single)
Where it plays: End credits (after the narrative close). Non-diegetic; glossy, torch-song sway with modern rhythm touches.
Why it matters: Bridges period story to contemporary pop culture; first release from Marv Music.

Music–Story Links

• Old-world orchestration reframes the Kingsman ethos as duty before style; the style comes later.
• War cues (“Dulce…,” “We Shall Not Sleep”) pivot from adventure to elegy, tracking the film’s tonal drop.
• Rasputin’s dance-fight bends ballet into villain theater—music sells the absurd and the lethal at once.

How It Was Made

Composers set up on/near the London set early in 2019 to write alongside production, then recorded and refined through the COVID-era schedule shifts. The brief: trade the series’ modern swagger for classic film-adventure grammar, while keeping a through-line to Kingsman motifs. The end-credits original (“Measure of a Man”) launched the Marv Music label in partnership with Warner/Parlophone.

Reception & Quotes

Coverage praised the breadth and thematic clarity; a few noted they missed the earlier films’ pop snap.

“Absolutely first-rate… the best score in the Kingsman series to date.” — Movie Music UK

“A handsome, old-fashioned adventure canvas.” — Filmtracks

Additional Info

• Album: 24 tracks, ~78:00, Hollywood Records (digital).
• Key cues by title: “The Promise,” “Savile Row,” “Oxfords, Not Rogues,” “We Three Kings,” “Silent Knife,” “Dulce et Decorum est,” “Victoria Cross,” “Knights of the Roundtable.”
• Marketing songs (not in film): “War Pigs,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” Boney M.’s “Rasputin,” folk “Kalinka.”
• End-credits single: “Measure of a Man” (FKA twigs feat. Central Cee) — original and “Cinematic” versions were issued.
• WWI source: John McCormack’s “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” appears on the film’s soundtrack list.

Technical Info

• Title: The King’s Man (Original Motion Picture Score)
• Year: 2021
• Type: Feature film score (with period sources in-film)
• Composers: Matthew Margeson; Dominic Lewis
• Label: Hollywood Records (digital release Dec 22, 2021)
• Notable in-film music: “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” (John McCormack, 1914); selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
• Credits song: “Measure of a Man” — FKA twigs feat. Central Cee (single; not on score album)
• Film basics: Dir. Matthew Vaughn; runtime 131 min; 20th Century Studios

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: official soundtrack/film pages; album listing on Spotify; Film Music Reporter (album announcement); press on “Measure of a Man” single and video; soundtrack pages noting WWI source music and Tchaikovsky usage; official final trailer (ID used for figures).

November, 12th 2025