The Seasons Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional English (nineteenth century)

Come all you lads and lasses, I'd have you give attention
To these few lines I'm about to write here.
'Tis of the four seasons of the year that I shall mention,
The beauty of all things doth appear.
And now you are young and all in your prosperity,
Come cheer up your hearts and revive like the spring.
Join off in pairs like the birds in February
That St. Valentine's Day it forth do bring.

Then cometh Spring, which all the land doth nourish;
The fields are beginning to be decked with green.
The trees put forth their buds and the blossoms they do flourish,
And the tender blades of corn on the earth are to be seen.
Don't you see the little lambs by the dams a-playing?
The cuckoo is singing in the shady grove.
The flowers they are springing, the maids they go a-Maying,
In love all hearts seem now to move.

Next cometh Autumn with the sun so hot and piercing;
The sportsman goes forth with his dog and his gun
to fetch down the woodcock, the partridge and the pheasant,
For health and for profit as well as for fun.
Behold with loaded apple-trees the farmer is befriended,
They will fill up his casks that have long laid dry.
All nature seems to weary nhow, her task is nearly ended,
And more of the seasons will come by and by.

When night comes on with song and tale we pass the wintry hours;
By keeping up a cheerful heart we hope for better days.
We tend the cattle, sow the seed, give work unto the ploughers,
With patience wait till winter yields before the sun's fair rays.
And so the world goes round and round, and every time and season
With pleasure and with profit crowns the passage of the year.
And so through every time of life, to him who acts with reason
The beauty of all things doth appear.

Ce He Mise Le Ulaingt,the Two Trees Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

By William Butler Yeats

Beloved, gaze in thine own heart,
The holy tree is growing there;
From joy the holy branches start,
And all the trembling flowers they bear.
The changing colours of its fruit
Have dowered the stars with merry light;
The surety of its hidden root
Has planted quiet in the night;
The shaking of its leafy head
Has given the waves their melody,
And made my lips and music wed,
Murmuring a wizard song for thee.
There the Loves a circle go,
The flaming circle of our days,
Gyring, spiring to and fro
In those great ignorant leafy ways;
Remembering all that shaken hair
And how the winged sandals dart,
Thine eyes grow full of tender care;
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart.

Gaze no more in the bitter glass
The demons, with their subtle guile,
Lift up before us when they pass,
Or only gaze a little while;
For there a fatal image grows
That the stormy night receives,
Roots half hidden under snows,
Broken boughs and blackened leaves.
For all thinks turn to bareness
In the dim glass the demons hold,
The glass of outer weariness,
Made when God slept in times of old.
There, through the broken branches, go
The ravens of unresting thought;
Flying, crying, to and fro,
Cruel claw and hungry throat,
Or else they stand and sniff the wind,
And shake their ragged wings: alas!
Thy tender eyes grow all unkind:
Gaze no more in the bitter glass.
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart,
The holy tree is growing there;
From joy the holy branches start,
And all the trembling flowers they bear.
Remembering all that shaken hair
And how the winged sandals dart,
Thine eyes grow full of tender care:
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart.

Come By The Hills Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free.
And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the rocks reach the sea.
Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun.
And cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.

Come by the hills to the land where life is a song
And sing while the birds fill the air with their joy all day long.
Where the trees sway in time, and even the wind sings in tune.
And cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.

Come by the hills to the land where legend remains
Where stories of old stir the heart and may yet come again.
Where the past has been lost and the future is still to be won.
And cares of tomorrow must wait till the day is done.

Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free.
And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the rocks reach the sea.
Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun.
And cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.

Let All That Are To Mirth Inclined Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional English

Let all that are to mirth inclined
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved Son

For to redeem our souls from thrall
Christ is the saviour of us all.

The twenty-fifth day of December
We have good cause to remember
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born

But mark how all things came to pass
The inn and lodgings filled was
That they could find no room at all
But in a straw-filled oxes stall.

Near Bethlehem some shepherds keep
Their flocks and herds of feeding sheep
To whom God's angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear

With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went this babe to find.
And as the heavenly angel told
They did our saviour Christ behold.

Thre eastern wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
Came boldly on? and made no stay.
Until they came where Jesus lay.

And being come unto that place
Where the blessed Messiah was
They humbly laid before his feet
Their gifts of gold and incense sweet.

See how the Lord of heaven and earth
Shewd himself lowly in his birth:
A sweet example for mankind
to learn to bear an humble mind.

Let all your songs and praises be
Unto his heavenly majesty
And evermore amongst our mirth
Remember Christ our Saviour's birth.

Let Us The Infant Greet Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional English

Let us the Infant greet,
In worship before Him fall,
And let us pay Him homage meet,
On this His Festival.

Let us to the Infant sing,
And bring Him of gifts rich store,
Let us honour our Infant King,
With praise for evermore.

Let us to the Infant kneel,
And love Him with faithful love,
And let our joyous anthems peal,
For Him who reigns above,

Glad hymns in the Infant's laud,
Sing we to Him while we may,
In heaven where He is throned as God,
Our service He will pay.

Be we to the Infant true,
While we are dwelling on mould,
And He will give us our wages due,
A crown of purest gold.

Dante's Prayer Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone

I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and fire

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars

Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Please remember me

The King Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional English

Health, love and peace be all here in this place
By your leave we shall sing, concerning our King.

Our King is well-dressed in silks of the best
In ribbons so rare no king can compare.

We have travelled many miles over hedges and stiles,
In search of our King unto you we bring.

We have powder and shot to conquer the lot,
We have cannon and ball to conquer them all.

Old Christmas is past, twelve tide is the last
And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new.

In Praise Of Christmas Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional English (eighteenth century)

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend
That doth but the best that he may,
Forgetting old wrongs with carols and songs
To drive the cold winter away.

Tis ill for a mind to anger inclined
to think of small injuries now,
If wrath be to seek, do not lend her your cheek
Nor let her inhabit thy brow.
Cross out of thy books malevolent looks
Both beauty and youth's decay,
And wholly consort with mirth and sport
To drive the cold winter away.

This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
and neighbours together do meet,
to sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love to greet.
Old grudges forgot are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay;
The old and the young doth carol this song,
to drive the cold winter away.

When Christmas's tide comes in like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year much mirth and good cheer
In every household is had.
The country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
Whereat the young men do best that they can
To drive the cold winter away.

The Wexford Carol Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Good people all, this Christmas-time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas day;
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born.


The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass;
From every door repelled alas!
As long foretold, their refuge all
Was but an humble ox's stall.


There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star,
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay,
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah was,
They humbly cast them at his feet,
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.


Near Bethlehem did shepherds keepTheir flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God's angels did appear,
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
'Prepare and go', the angles said.
'To Bethlehem, be not afraid:
For there you'll find, this happy morn,A princely babe, sweet Jesus born.


With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find,
And as God's angel had foretold,
They did our saviour Christ behold.
Within a manger he was laid,
And by his side the virgin maid,
Attending on the Lord of life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.

Blacksmith Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

A blacksmith courted me
Nine months and better
He fairly won my heart
Wrote me a letter
With his hammer in his hand
He looked quite clever
And if I was with my love
I'd live for ever.

But where is my love gone
With his cheeks like roses
And his good black Billycock on
Decked round with primroses
I'm afraid the scorching sun
Will shine and burn his beauty
And if I was with my love
I'd do my duty.

Strange news is come to town
Strange news is carried
Strange news flys up and down
That my love is married.
I wish them both much joy
Though they can't hear me
And may God reward him well
For the slighting of me.

Don't you remember when
you lay beside me
And you said you'd marry me
And not deny me.
If I said I'd marry you
It was only for to try you
So bring your witness love
And I'll not deny you.

No witness have I none
Save God Almighty
And may he reward you well
For the slighting of me
Her lips grew pale and wan
It made a poor heart tremble
To think she loved a one
And he proved deceitful.

A blacksmith courted me
Nine months and better
He fairly won my heart
Wrote me a letter
With his hammer in his hand
He looked quite clever
And if I was with my love
I'd live forever.

Huron 'beltane' Fire Dance Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Music by Loreena McKennitt
L.M.: Vocals, Harp, Bodhran
BRIAN HUGHES: Guitar
DAVID WOODHEAD: Mandolin
GEORGE KOLLER: Bass
RICK LAZAR: Udu Drum and Congas
SHELLY BERGER: Pzud
OLIVER SCHROER: Fiddle

Lullaby Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Poem by William Blake

O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of God, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And friends of Hell rejoice upon the slain,
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!

The Mystic's Dream Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

A clouded dream on an earthly night
Hangs upon the crescent moon
A voiceless song in an ageles light
Sings at the coming dawn
Birds in flight are calling there
Where the heart moves the stones
It's ther that my heart is longing
All for the love of you

A painting hangs on an ivy wall
Nestled in the emerald moss
The eyes declare a truce of trust
And then it draws me far away
Where deep in the desert twilight
Sand melts in pools of the sky
When darkness lays her crimson cloak
Your lamps will call me home

And so it's there my homage's due
Clutched by the still of the night
And now I feel you move
Every breath is full
So it's there my homage's due
Clutched by the still of the night
Even the distance feels so near
All for the love of you.

Bonny Portmore Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

O Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase
Portmore.

O Bonny Portmore, I am sorry to see
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree
For it stood on your shore for many's the long day
Till the long boats from Antrim came to float it away.

O Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase
Portmore.

All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep
Saying "where will we shelter or where will we sleep?"
For the Oak and the Ash they are all cutten down
And the walls of BONNY PORTMORE are all down to the ground.

O Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase
Portmore.

The Old Ways Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

The thundering waves are calling me home to you
The pounding sea is calling me home to you.

On a dark new year's night
On the west coast of Clare
I heard your voice singing
Your eyes danced the song
Your hands played the tune
T'was a vision before me.

We left the music behind and the dance carried on
As we stole away to the seashore
We smelt the brine, felt the wind in our hair
And with sadness you paused.

Suddenly I knew that you'd have to go
My work was not yours, your eyes told me so
Yet it was there I felt the crossroads of time
And I wondered why.

As we cast our gaze on the tumbling sea
A vision came o'er me
Of thundering hooves and beating wings
In clouds above.

As you turned to go I heard you call my name.
You were like a bird in a cage, spreading its
Wings to fly
'The old ways are lost' you sang as you flew
And I wondered why.

All Souls Night Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Bonfires dot the rolling hills
Figures dance around and around
To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness
Moving to the pagan sound.


Somewhere in a hidden memory
Images float before my eyes
Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires
And dancing till the next sunrise.


I can see lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night.


Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows
Held up tall as the flames leap high
The green knight holds the holly bush
To mark where the old year passes by.


Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides
Figures dance around and around
To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness
And moving to the pagan sound.


Standing on the bridge that crosses
The river that goes out to the sea
The wind is full of a thousand voices
They pass by the bridge and me.

Prospero's Speech Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

By William Shakespeare

And now my charms are all o'erthrown
And what strength I have's mine own
Which is most faint: now t'is true
I must here be released by you

But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,

Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant
And my ending is despair,
Unless I be relieved by prayer

Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself and frees all faults
As you from your crimes would pardon'd be
Let your indulgence set me free

Cymbeline Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

By William Shakespeare (c. 1609)

Fear no more the heat o' th' sun
Nor the furious winters rages;
Thou thy wordly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages.
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this and come to dust.

Fear no more the frown o' th' great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke.
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To three the reed is as the oak.
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this and come to dust.

All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor th' all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan.
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee and come to dust.

Banks Of Claudy Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

As I walked out one morning
All in the month of May
Down by a flowery garden
I carelessly did stray
I overheard a young maid
In sorrow did complain,
All for her absent lover
Who plows the raging main.

I boldly stepped up to her
And put her in surprise.
I know she did not know me
I being in disguise

I says, "Me charming creature,
My joy, my hearts delight,
How far have you to travel
This dark and dreary night?"

"I'm in search of a faithless young man.
Johnny is his name.
And along the Banks of Claudy
I'm told he does remain."

"This is the Banks of Claudy
Fair maid where on you stand.
But don't depend on Johnny
For he's a false young man.

Oh don't depend on Johnny
For he'll not meet you here.
But tarry with me in yon green woods
No danger need you fear.

Oh it's six long weeks or better
Since Johnny left the shore
He's crossing the wild ocean
Where the foam and the billows roar.

He's crossing the wild ocean
For honour and for fame.
But this I've heard, the ship was wrecked
All on the coast of Spain."

Oh it's when she heard this dreadful news
She flew into despair.
by the wringing of her milk white hands
And the tearing of her hair.

Saying "If Johnny he is drowned
No man on earth I'll take,
But through lonesome groves and valleys
I'll wander for his sake."

Oh it's when he saw her loyalty
No longer could he stand
He flew into her arms saying
"Betsy I'm the man."
Saying "Betsy I'm the young man
The cause of all your pain
But since we've met on Claudy Banks
We'll never part again."

The Stockford Carol Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt: troubador harp

Kellswater Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Here's a health to you bonny Kellswater
Where you get all the pleasures of life
Where you get all the fishing and fowling
And a bonny wee lass for your wife.

Oh it's down where yon waters run muddy
I'm afraid they will never run clear
And it's when I begin for to study
My mind is on him that's not here.

And it's this one and that one may court him
But if any one gets him but me
It's early and late I will curse them
The parting lovely Willie from me.

Oh a father he calls on his daughter
Two choices I'll give unto thee
Would you rather see Willie's ship a'sailing
See him hung like a dog on yonder tree.

Oh father, dear father, I love him
I can no longer hide it from thee
Through an acre of fire I would travel
Along with the lovely Willie to be.

Oh hard was the heartbreak I'm finding
She took from her full heart's delight
May the chains of old Ireland come find them
And softly their pillows at night.

Oh yonder there's a ship on the ocean
And she does not know which way to seer
From the east and the west she's a-blowing
She reminds me of the charms of my dear.

Oh it's yonder my Willie will be coming
He said he'd be here in the spring
And it's down by yon green shades I'll meet him
And among wild roses we'll sing.
For a gold ring he placed on my finger
Saying love bear this in your mind
If ever I sail from old Ireland
You'll mind I'll not leave you behind.

Here's a health to you bonny Kellswater
Where you get all the pleasures of life
Where you get all the fishing and fowling
And a bonny wee lass for your wife.

The Lady Of Shalott Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

By Alfred Lord Tennyson (1843)

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road run by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the beared barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly;
Down to tower'd Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers ''tis the fairy
The Lady of Shalott.

There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care heat she,
The Lady of Shalott.

And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot;
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two.
She hath no loyal Knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.

But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot;
Or when the Moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed.
'I am half sick of shadows,' said
The Lady of Shalott.

A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
'Tirra lirra,' by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
'The curse is come upon me,' cried
The Lady of Shalott.

In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining.
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And around about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,
And around the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "she has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

Night Ride Across The Caucasus Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Ride on Through the night Ride on
Ride on Through the night Ride on

There are visions, there are memories
There are echoes of thundering hooves
There are fires, there is laughter
There's the sound of a thousand doves

In the velvet of the darkness
By the silhouette of silent trees
They are watching, they are waiting
They are witnessing life's mysteries

Cascading stars on the slumbering hills
They are dancing as far as the sea
Riding o'er the land, you can feel its gentle hand
Leading on to its destiny

Take me with you on this journey
Where the boundaries of time are now tossed
In cathedrals of the forest
In the words of the tongues now lost

Find the answers, ask the questions
Find the roots of an ancient reee
Take me dancing, take me singing
I'll ride on till the moon meets the sea

The Bonny Swans Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

A farmer there lived in the north country
a hey ho bonny o
And he had daughters one, two, three
The swans swim so bonny o
These daughters they walked by the river's brim
a hey ho bonny o
The eldest pushed the youngest in
The swans swim so bonny o


Oh sister, oh sister, pray lend me your hand
with a hey ho a bonny o
And I will give you house and land
the swans swim so bonny o
I'll give you neither hand nor glove
with a hey ho a bonny o
Unless you give me your own true love
the swans swim so bonny o


Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam
with a hey ho and a bonny o
Until she came to a miller's dam
the swans swim so bonny o


The miller's daughter, dressed in red
with a hey ho and a bonny o
She went for some water to make some bread
the swans swim so bonny o


Oh father, oh daddy, here swims a swan
with a hey ho and a bonny o
It's very like a gentle woman
the swans swim so bonny o
They placed her on the bank to dry
with a hey ho and a bonny o
There came a harper passing by
the swans swim so bonny o


He made harp pins of her fingers fair
with a hey ho and a bonny o
He made harp strings of her golden hair
the swans swim so bonny oHe made a harp of her breast bone
with a hey ho and a bonny o
And straight it began to play alone
the swans swim so bonny o


He brought it to her father's hall
with a hey ho and a bonny o
And there was the court, assembled all
the swans swim so bonny o
He laid the harp upon a stone
with a hey ho and a bonny o
And straight it began to play lone
the swans swim so bonny o


And there does sit my father the King
with a hey ho and a bonny o
And yonder sits my mother the Queen
the swans swim so bonny o
And there does sit my brother Hugh
with a hey ho and a bonny o
And by him William, sweet and true
the swans swim so bonny o
And there does sit my false sister, Anne
with a hey ho and a bonny o
Who drowned me for the sake of a man
the swans swim so bonny o

The Highwayman Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
And the highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding,
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door
He'd a french cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin
A coat of claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and
barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's blackeyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by the moonlight,
Watch for me by the moonlight,
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way"
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand
But she loosened her hair I' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; and he
kissed its
Waves in the moonlight, (oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
The he tugged at his rein in the moonlight,
And galloped away to the west
He did not come at the dawning; he did not come at noon,
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching,
Marching, marching
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door
The said no word to the landlord, the drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow
bed;
Two of them knelt at the casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every windows,
And hell at one dark window;
For bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" And they kissed her
She heard the dead man say
Look for me by the moonlight
Watch for me by the moonlight
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat of blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness and the hours crawled by
like years!
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it!
The trigger at least was hers!
Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs were ringing clear
Tlot-tlot, in the distance!
Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming!She stood up straight and still!
Tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment!
She drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moolight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him with her death!
He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know she stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her
Own red blood! Not till the dawn he heard it; his face grew grey to hear
How bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness
there
Back,he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier
Brandished high! - blood-red were the spurs I' the golden noon;
Wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his
throat.
Still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed upon the cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
A highwayman comes riding,
Riding, riding,
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Greensleeves Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional
Music Traditional, Lyrics by King Henry VIII

Alas my love you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously;
And I have loved you oh so long
Delighting in your company.

Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
And who but my Lady Greensleeves.

I have been ready at your hand
To grant whatever thou would'st crave;
I have waged both life and land
Your love and goodwill for to have.

Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
And who but my Lady Greensleeves.

Thy petticoat of sendle white
With gold embroidered gorgeously;
Thy petticoat of silk and white
And these I bought gladly.

Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
And who but my Lady Greensleeves.

The Lark In The Clear Air Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Trad. arr. by Loreena McKennitt
and Pat Mullin

Annachie Gordon Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Harking is bonny and there lives my love
My heart lies on him and cannot remove
It cannot remove for all that I have done
And I never will forget my love Annachie
For Annachie Gordon he's bonny and he's bright
He'd entice any woman that e'er he saw
He'd entice any woman and so he has done me
And I never will forget my love Annachie.


Down came her father and he's standing at the door
Saying Jeannie you are trying the tricks of a whore
You care nothing for a man who cares so much for thee
You must marry Lord Sultan and leave Annachie
For Annachie Gordon is barely but a man
Although he may be pretty but where are his lands
The Sultan's lands are broad and his towers they run high
You must marry Lord Sultan and leave Annachie.


With Annachie Gordon I beg for my bread
And before I marry Sultan his gold to my head
With gold to my head and straight down to my knees
And I'll die if I don't get my love Annachie
And you who are my parents to church you may me bring
But unto Lord Sultan I'll never bear a son
To a son or a daughter I'll never bow my knee
And I'll die if I don't get my love Annachie.


Jeannie was married and from church was brought home
When she and her maidens so merry should have been
When she and her maidens so merry should have been
She goes into her chamber and cries all alone.


Come to my bed my Jeannie my honey and my sweet
To stile you my mistress it would be so sweet
Be it mistress or Jeanne it's all the same to me
But in your bed Lord Sultan I never will lie
And down came her father and he's spoken with reknownSaying you who are her maidens
Go loosen up her gowns
And she fell down to the floor
And straight down to his knee saying
Father look I'm dying for my love Annachie.


The day that Jeanne married was the day that Jeannie died
And the day that young Annachie came home on the tide
And down came her maidens all wringing of their hands
Saying oh it's been so long, you've been so long on the sands
So long on the sands, so long on the flood
They have married your Jeannie and now she lies dead.


You who are her maidens come take me by the hand
And lead me to the chamber where my love she lies in
And he kissed her cold lips till his heart it turned to stone
And he died in the chamber where his love she lies in.

Dante's Prayer Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone

I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and fire

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars

Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Please remember me

Balulalow Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Traditional Scottish

I come from hevin which to tell
The best nowells that e'er befell
To you thir tythings trew I bring
And I will of them say and sing.

This day to you is born ane child
Of Marie meik and Virgin mild
That bliss it bairn bening and kind
Sall you rejoyce baith hart and mind.

Lat us rejoyis and be blyth
And with the Hyrdis go full swyth
And see what God of his grace hes done
Throu Christ to bring us to his throne

My saull and life stand up and see
Wha lyis in ane cribbe of tree.
What Babe is that, sa gude and fair
It is Christ, God's Son and Air.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit
Prepair thy creddill in my spreit!
And I sall rock thee in my hart
And never mair fra thee depart.

Bot I sall praise thee evermoir
With sangis sweit unto thy gloir
The kneis of my hart sall I bow
And sing that rycht Balulalow.

Carrighfergus Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

I wish I was in Carrighfergus,
Only for nights in Ballygrant.
I would swim over the deepest ocean,
Only for nights in Ballygrant.

But the sea is wide, and I can't swim over.
Neither have I wings to fly.
If I could find me a handsome boatsman
To ferry me over to my love and die.

Now in Kilkenny, it is reported,
They've marble stones there as black as ink.
With gold and silver I would transport her
But I'll sing no more now, till I get a drink.

I'm drunk today, but I'm seldom sober.
A handsome rover from town to town.
Ah, but I am sick now, my days are over,
Come all you young lads and lay me down.

I wish I was in Carrighfergus,
Only for nights in Ballygrant.

Snow Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Lyrics by Archibald Lampman

White are the far-off plains, and white
The fading forests grow;
the wind dies out along the height,
And denser still the snow,
A gathering weight on roof and tree,
Falls down scarce audibly.

The road before me smooths and fills
Apace, and all about
The fences dwindle, and the hills
Are blotted slowly out;
The naked trees loom spectrally
Into the dim white sky.

The meadows and far-sheeted streams
Lie still without a sound;
Like some soft minister of dreams
The snow-fall hoods me round;
In wood and water, earth and air,
A silence everywhere.

Save when at lonely intervals
Some farmer's sleigh, urged on,
With rustling runners and sharp bells,
Swings by me and is ghone;
Or from the empty waste I hear
A sound remote and clear;

The barking of a dog, or call
To cattle, sharply pealed,
Borne echoing from some wayside stall
Or barnyard far afield;

then all is silent and the snow falls
Settling soft and slow
The evening deepens and the grey
Folds closer earth and sky
The world seems shrouded, far away.

Its noises sleep, and I as secret as
Yon buried stream plod dumbly on and dream.

The Dark Night Of The Soul Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Upon a darkened night
the flame o love was burning in my breast
And by a lantern bright
I fled my house while all in quiet rest

Shrouded by the night
and by the secret star I quikly fled
The veil concealed my eyes
while all within lay quiet as the dead

Oh night though was my guide
oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
to the beloved one
transforming each of them into the other

Upon that misty night
in secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
than that which burned so deeply in my heart

That fire t'was led me on
and shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
it was a place where no one else could come

Within my pounding heart
which kept itself entirely for him
He fell into his sleep
beneath the cedars all my love I gave
From o'er the fortress walls
the wind would brush his hair against his brow
And with its smoothest hand
caressed my every sense it would allow

I lost myself to him
and laid my face upon my lovers breast
And care and grief grew dim
as in the mornings mist became the light
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
there they dimmed amongst the lilies fair

The Mummer's Dance Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

When in the springtime of the year
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew
Are dressed in ribbons fair

When owls call the breathless moon
In the blue veil of the night
The shadows of the trees appear
Amidst the lantern light

We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay

Who will go down to those shady groves
And summon the shadows there
And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
In the springtime of the year

The songs of birds seem to fill the wood
That when the fiddler plays
All their voices can be heard
Long past their woodland days

And so they linked their hands and danced
Round in circles and in rows
And so the journey of the night descends
When all the shades are gone

"A garland gay we bring you here
And at your door we stand
It is a sprout well budded out
The work of Our Lord's hand"

Skellig Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

O light the candle, John
The daylight has almost gone
The birds have sung their last
The bells call all to mass

Sit here by my side
For the night is very long
There's something I must tell
Before I pass along

I joined the brotherhood
My books were all to me
I scribed the words of God
And much of history

Many a year was I
Perched out upon the sea
The waves would wash my tears,
The wind, my memory

I'd hear the ocean breathe
Exhale upon the shore
I knew the tempest's blood
Its wrath I would endure

And so the years went by
Within my rocky cell
With only a mouse or bird
My friend; I loved them well

And so it came to pass
I'd come here to Romani
And many a year it took
Till I arrived here with thee

On dusty roads I walked
And over mountains high
Through rivers running deep
Beneath the endless sky

Beneath these jasmine flowers
Amidst these cypress trees
I give you now my books
And all their mysteries

Now take the hourglass
And turn it on its head
For when the sands are still
'Tis then you'll find me dead

O light the candle, John
The daylight is almost gone
The birds have sung their last
The bells call all to mass

Stolen Child Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Poem by W.W. Yeats

Where dips the rocky highland
Of sleuth wood in the lake
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats
There we've hid our fairy vats
Full of berries
And of reddest stolen cherries.

Come away, oh human child
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand
For the world's more full of weeping
Than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim grey sands with light
By far off furthest rosses
We foot it all the night
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles
Whilst the world is full of troubles
And is anxious in its sleep.

Away with us he's going
The solemned eyed
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.

For he comes, the human child
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand
For the world's more full of weeping
Than you can understand.

Banquet Hall Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Loreena McKennitt
Recorded at Annaghmakerrig, Ireland
Loreena McKennitt: troubador and celtic harps, tambourine, finger cymbals

Full Circle Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Stars were falling deep in the darkness
as prayers rose softly, petals at dawn
And as I listened, your voice seemed so clear
so calmly you were calling your god

Somewhere the sun rose, o'er dunes in the desert
such was the stillness, I ne'er felt before
Was this the question, pulling, pulling, pulling you
in your heart, in your soul, did you find rest there?

Elsewhere a snowfall, the first in the winter
covered the ground as the bells filled the air
You in your robes sang, calling, calling, calling him
in your heart, in your sould, did you find peace there?

Coventry Carol Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child
By by, lully, lullay, thou little tiny child
By by, lully lullay


O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling
For whom we do sing
By by, lully lullay?


Herod, the king
In his raging
Chargטd he hath this day
His men of mightIn his own sight,
All young children to slay


That woe is me
Poor child for thee!
And ever morn and day,
For thy parting
Neither say nor sing
By by, lully lullay!

Samain Night Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

When the moon on a cloud cast night
Hung above the tree tops height
You sang me of some distant past
That made my heart beat strong and fast
Now I know I'm home at last

You offered me an eagle's wing
That to the sun I might soar and sing
And if I heard the owl's cry
Into the forest I would fly
And in its darknews find you by.

And so our love's not a simple thing
Nor our truths unwavering
But like the moon's pull on the tide
Our fingers touch our hearts collide
I'll be a moonsbreath from your side.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

God rest ye merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy!

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherdsBrought tidings of the same
How in that Bethlehem was born
The son of God by name


"Fear not," then said the angel
"Let nothing you affright
This day is born a saviour
Of a pure virgin bright
To free all those who trust in him
From Satan's pow'r and might"


The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind
And went to Bethlehem straightaway
This blessed babe to find


But when to Bethlehem they came
Whereat this infant lay
They found him in a manger
Where oxen feed on hay
His mother Mary kneeling
Unto the Lord did pray


Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface

Courtyard Lullaby Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

Wherein the deep night sky
The stars lie in its embrace
The courtyard still in its sleep
And peace comes over your face

'Come to me' it sings
'Hear the pulse of the land
The Ocean's rhythms pull
To hold your heart in its hand'

And when the wind draws strong
Across the cypress trees
The Nightbirds cease their songs
So gathers memories.

Last night you spoke of a dream
Where forests stretched to the east
And each bird sang its song
A Unicorn joined in a feast

And in a corner stood
A pomegranate tree
With wild flowers there
No mortal eye could see

Yet still some mystery befalls
Sure as the cock crows at morn
the world in stillness keeps
The secret of babes to be born

I heard an old voice say
"Don't go far from the land
The seasons have their way
No mortal can understand."

Dickens' Dublin (the Palace) Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

I walk the streets of Dublin town
It's 1842
It's snowing on this Christmas Eve
Think I'll beg another bob or two
I'll huddle in this doorway here
Till someone comes along
If the lamp lighter comes real soon
Maybe I'll go home with him.

Maybe I can find a place I can call my home
Maybe I can find a home I can call my own.

The horses on the cobbled stones pass by
Think I'll get one one fine day
And ride into the countryside
And very far away.
But now as the daylight disappears
I best find a place to sleep
Think I'll slip into the bell tower
In the curch just down the street.

Maybe I can find a place I can call my home
Maybe I can find a home I can call my own.

Maybe on the way I'll find the dog
I saw the other night
And tuck him underneath my jacket
So we'll stay warm through the night
And as we lie in the bell tower high
And dream of days to come
The bells o'er head will call the hour
The day we will find a home.

Maybe I can find a place I can call my home
Maybe I can find a home I can call my own.

Dickens Dublin Transcript
Joyful mystery, the birth of our lord... This night our Lady and St. Joseph
was going up to get registered and um they were going down the road and
they met his man... and he said have you any room and he said 'Not but
there's an old stable over there that I owned... If yous want to get into
it...And they went over and the Lord came down from heaven at twelve
o'clock and loads of beautiful angels was with them... and when they were
walkin....

These three wise kings... um... they were all from different countries. And
they always looked up at the sky and they looked up this night and saw this
beautiful star up in the sky... and when they were going they all meeted
together... and they had to pass King Herod's, not that we much care for
him... and they went in and he said 'Where are ye going with your best
stitches on ye.'

And they said 'Did you not hear the news' and say he says 'What News' he
says 'This day the Savious is born' and he said to them 'When you find him
come back and tell me cause I want to go and adore him too' and he was only
coddin' them. He wanted to kill him and when they were going, they stopped
and they said 'Surely not this old stable that our King is born in. We were
expecting a palace.'

There was these shepards and shepards are fellas that mind the foals and
cows and sheeps and little lambs and all um they hears this beautiful music
up in the sky and they were wondering what was so fun... an angel
disappated them and he said 'I was wonderin' what was so fun' and he said
ye, and he said 'The Saviour is born. If you want to go see him follow that
star up in the sky,' and it was a beautiful star.

Introduction Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

I looked back and forth through the window of 15th century Spain, through
the hues of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, and was drawn into a
fascinating world: history, religion, cross-cultural fertilization... From
the more familiar turf of the west coast of Ireland, through the
troubadours of France, crossing over the Pyrenees and then to the west
through Galicia, down through Andalusia and past Gibraltar to Morocco...
The Crusades, the pilgrimage to Santiago, Cathars, the Knights Templar, the
Sufis from Egypt, One Thousand and One Nights in Arabia, the Celtic sacred
imagery of trees, the Gnostic Gospels... who was God? and what is religion,
what spirituality? What was revealed and what was concealed... and what was
the mask and what the mirror?

Je regarde par le vitrail de l'Espagne du XVe siecle, j'observe les reflets
du judaisme, de l'islam et du christianisme, et je suis attiree dans un
monde fascinant: l'histoire, la religion, l'inter-fecondation des
cultures... Partant du terreau plus famil ier de la cote ouest de
l'Irlande, en passant par les troubadours de France, traversant les
Pyrenees et allant vers l'ouest par la Galice, vers le sud a travers
l'Andalousie, puis a Gibraltar pour arriver au Maroc... Les Croisades, le
pelerinage a Saint-J acques-de-Compostelle, les Cathares, les Templiers,
les Soufis d'Egypte, les Mille et une nuits d'Arabie, l'imagerie celtique
de l'arbre sacre, les chants gnostiques... qui etait Dieu? et qu'es-ce que
la religion, la spiritualite? Ou est la relevation, et ou est le mystere?
Ou est le masque, et ou est le miroir?

Ich liess den Blick wie durch ein Fenster ins Spanien des 15. Jahrhunderts
schweifen, durch die Schattierungen von Judaismus, Islam und Christentum
und fuehlte mich in eine faszinierende Welte entfuehrt: Geschichte,
Religion, interkulturelle Befruchtung.. . Von den vertrauten Wiesen der
irischen Westkueste, vorbei an den Troubadoren Frankreichs, die Pyrenaeen
ueberquerend und dann Richtung Westen durch Galizien, hinunter nach
Andalusien und an Gibraltar vorbei bis nach Marokko... Die Kreuzzuege, der
Tempel ritter, die Sufis von Aegypten, Tausend und Eine Nacht in Arabien,
die heilige keltische Bildsprache der Baeume, das agnostische Evangelium...
Wer war Gott? und was ist Religion, was Vergeistigung? Was wurde enthuellt
und was war verborgen... und was war die Maske und was war der Spiegel?

Mire de un sitio a otro a traves de la ventana del siglo XV espanol, por
todos los matices del Judaismo, el Islam y el Cristianismo, y me senti
atraida por un mundo fascinante: historia, religion, la fertilidad de aquel
cruce de culturas... Desde los fami liares prados verdes de la costa oeste
de Irlanda, hasta los trovadores de Francia, cruzando los Pirineos, pase
por Galicia, baje hasta Adalucia y atravese Gibraltar hasta llegar a
Marruecos... Las Cruzadas, el peregrinaje a Santiago, Los Cataros, Los Tem
plarios, los Sufis de Egipto, Las Mil y Una Noches de Arabia, la sagrada
imagineria Celta de los arboles, los Gospels gnosticos... quien era Dios?
Que es religion y que espiritualidad? Que fue revelado y que ocultado?...
Y que fue mascara y que espejo ?

Breaking The Silence Lyrics By Loreena Mckennitt

I hear some distant drumbeat
A heartbeat pulsing low
It is coming from within
A heartbeat I don't know
A troubled heart knows no peace
A dark and poisoned pool
Of liberty now lost
A pawn an opressor's tool

Oh my heart must be strong
And guide when eyes grow dim
When ears grow deaf with empty words
When I know there's life within

A gunfire shatters silence
Where birds once sweetly sang
A mother cradles a child now dead
Now death where life began

From the troubled heart of South Africa
Nicaragua's festering sore
The turmoil on the streets of China
Death crying out for more

A change is slow in coming
My eyes can scarcely see
The rays of hope come streaming
Through the smoke of apathy

Oh my heart must be strong
And guide when eyes grow dim
When ears grow deaf with empty words
When I know there's life within

May the spirit never die
Though a troubled heart feels pain
When this long winter is over
It will blossom once again.