Tinker's Minstrel Bard Songbook.doc · Web viewD G A capo 3. I left her on a clear and sunny morning. D G A

Tinker's Minstrel

D G A capo 3I left her on a clear and sunny morningD G AI'd never meant to cause her so much pain D G D A GBut she knew I was a tinker's son bred to walk the road D G AAnd so I packed my bag and started off again

D G Achorus: And I am the last, I am the last tinker's minstrel

D G AAnd I travel down the winding roadD G AI feel the urging ever onwardD G AThrough summer sun and winter snow G Bm D G AAnd where it leads me I will go

I am a traveling man just like my father was before meHe traveled down from France to JerichoAnd he left a trail of broken hearts shattered by his songAnd where he finally ended no one really knows

Now for those who can, a farmer's life's a good oneAnd the blacksmith has a fine and noble tradeBut to spend my life 'neath the crystal skiesMeans more than you can knowAnd is worth more to me than all the gold you've made

words and music by JP Andrews© Raven Boy Music, ASCAP

Allysaundra's Song

Am F C GWhen I was a young man with burning heart and heavy hand Am F C EmI fought not for honor or fair chivalry Am F C GI cared not for promises from gentle lass or Christian Mass Am F G AmWhatever the cost I would have victory

I came with an army to the shores of this kingdomTo pillage the country in the service of greedMy life changed before me as we lay siege the castle wallsFor there on the ramparts stood the Queen of Caid

Arrayed in her armor like a warrior ValkyrieHer sword flashed before me like the sun in my eyesAnd left me to wonder as my men fell around meOn a lifetime of murder, deception, and lies

I hear the horns calling, the drums loudly thunderingThe fight turns against us, for my life I must fleeBut I cannot escape her or the way that she looks at meNor can I face her as I fall to my knees

Surrounded by foemen, all my sworn enemiesWaiting the order that will cut short my daysThey parted before her and she reached down her hand to meSalvation and honor for a change in my ways

It's thirty long years now since I've come to this kingdomAnd I've learned much of honor and fair chivalryAsking that only in defense of her kingdomI can die in the service of the Queen of Caid


Lady in Darkness

(capo 2)

C C/B AmMy last night in CynaguaF GThe fire burning lowC C/B AmI was harping to a sleeping court F GThis time a year agoF GAs my fingers found a dancing tune C C/B AmA movement caught my eyeF GA lady danced there in the dark F G CAs night passed slowly by

Her face was lost in darknessAnd the swirling of her hairShe seemed almost a visionMade of shadows and night airAnd softly came to me the soundOf bare feet on the stoneSo I played another Highland tune As she danced on alone

chorus: F G C C/B AmDance, Lady, dance there in your halls of stoneF GThe harping is my gift to you C C/B Am F GBut the magic is your own...

And so the night continued onAnd claimed us as its ownThe harp, the hall, the living air And the rhythm on the stone'Til dawn came with its thieving light

And cast its talons longI turned to set my harp asideTurned back and she was gone

I wondered then just what she wasTo make her home the nightAnd why with dawn's first echoingShe chose to take her flightBut it matters not what face she wearsNor how strange this all seemsWhen sleep has wrapped me in its armsShe dances through my dreams chorus

So I'm going back to Stephen's hall To harp in darkness thereAnd listen for her fleeting steps In the turning Autumn airAnd this time in the shadows soft She will not dance aloneI'll harp another night away to claim her for my own

chorus

Dance, Lady, dance there in your halls of stoneThe harping is my gift to youBut the magic is your ownAnd yours alone...


Last of the Mighty

Dm AmShe flies through the night on her dark wings C DmAs the wind rushes by her a war cry she sings Dm Am

A creature of legend, nightmare and dreams C DmShe's the last of the mighty, the Dragon C C/B AmDown from the North she has come seeking goldC/B C C/B AmShe's taken the lives of the young and the oldC/B C C/B AmShe's flame and she's fire on a wind bitter coldC/B C C/B AmShe's the last of the mighty, the Dragon

Like a falling star suddenly thrown to the groundShe trampled our fields, burned out the townThe land shakes below her for miles aroundShe's the last of the mighty, the DragonIn a blizzard of fire she's burned down our storesWhile the wolves of the winter come knock at our doorsSo we've taken our weapons, our pikes and our bowsTo meet the last of the mighty, the Dragon

In what's left of our township we hold our pikes lowAs the beast streaks towards usThrough the light falling snowWe've all sworn an oath for the blood of our foeTo bring death to the mighty, the DragonAnd we'll never give up, no, we won't run and hideFor too many have suffered, too many have diedFor each man we have lost, and each child that criesDies the last of the mighty, the Dragon

The battle is joined as our archers let flyAnd fire falls around us from a clouded night skyAnd five men lay dead in one blink of an eyeOf the last of the mighty, the DragonBut the pikes take their toll on the Dragon's next passAnd her blood smokes and burns On the sparse winter grassAs the ice on the lake strains and shatters like glass

Beneath the last of the mighty, the Dragon

Her last cries of anguish drowned in her wakeAnd those who've survived her find comfort to takeFor deep on the bottom of a cold mountain lakeLay the last of the mighty, the DragonBut who here can say as we hear the wind howlYet another one like her Through the dark night may prowlAnd fly down with the winter to kill and devourAnd be the last of the mightyThe last of the mightyThe last of the mighty, the Dragon


My QueenFor Her Grace, Duchess Niobe Laїs of Bellatrix

G C GThese are not the lands that I grew up inC C/B Am DThese are not the lands I grew to loveG C G G/F# EmThese are not the fields that I walked in as a childC DAlthough the same stars shine above

G C GAnd I am not a knight on honor's fieldC C/B Am DI am no high Officer of StateG C G G/F# EmAnd I have often wondered just what brought me hereC DThough God alone must know my fate

C D G G/F# Emchorus: My Queen you will always be

C D G G/F# EmMy Queen you will always beC D G G/F# EmMy Queen you will always be

I've climbed the highest mountain in CynaguaI've sailed the rolling Mistland seaAnd crossed the burning desert 'neath the Aten sunTo see the crescent moons of fair CaidI've served in courts and carnivals and armiesWith my own eyes seen the naked truth of warAnd through it all I've loved and lost and sown and reapedAnd if you'd but ask me I'd do more

chorus

But days of glory all too soon are endedTo the sweetest things there still must come the nightAnd tomorrow's sun will see another hand upon the throneBestowed as prize for courage and for mightThough time and distance someday must divide usIn far future days that no man's eyes can seeI've heard it said that all men need a goddess or a QueenAnd you have been both these to me

chorus


The Troubadour

D C DI've traveled the length and the breadth of Caid D C DFrom Calafia to fair Rieslingshire D C DAnd I've stood with the armies in the Atenveldt night D C DAnd sang all my songs 'round the fire D C DI sing them the songs of great battles gone by D C DOf loving and drinking and fighting D C D

I sing them the ballads with tears in my eyes D C DAnd I've prayed with them as they lay dying Bm A G DAnd I've been with the King as he sent them to war Bm A G DAnd I've heard their dear wives gently weeping Bm A G DFor all the brave men they will see never more D C DAnd the children left home in their keeping

Now it's often in darkness, and sometimes in rainA troubadour's life is to travelAnd I laugh when I'm happy, sing through my painWatching life's loves and life's battlesThere's the miller that spends all his money in wineThere's the priest in the heart of the cityThere's the knight in his armor-how brightly he shinesAnd the street beggar crying for pityThere are women I've loved, though I've left them behindAnd there's many a man'd like to find meBut I've so far to travel and so little timeSo the road must unravel behind me

Still some men may ask why I take to the roadWhat profit the track that has called me?Well if you need an answer then you'll never knowThe glory of fate that befalls meFor I've played for your pleasure, I've played for your painSet spells in the air to surround youAnd long after I'm gone, in your hearts I'll remainIf my stories and songs have unbound youAnd you've taught me to love, Oh more than you knowThough I've brought you some measure of sorrowSo tonight I'll be here to play for you thoughYou will find me long gone on the morrow


Ban the Fencers

G D C D GHere in the Western kingdom we're inclusive as can be G C D GWe'd never rain on your parade just 'cause we don't agree C GThere's lots of ways to play this game D GWe want you to have fun C G D GWe'd never tell you what to do or what should not be done

If you are of the Nipponese, well, that's all right with usWe'll let you be a Samurai and we'll not make a fussSure, Western Europe's more our style,

But you're free to play your game

We'd never want to hem you in 'cause it's really all the same

chorus: C

But ban the fencers G

They're all hopeless thugs and thieves D C

They're dangerous, too brightly dressed G D G

And recreating sleaze C

Let's ban the fencers G

'Cause with us they don't belong D C

And if you should see to disagree C D G

Then you'd best move along

And if you don't like costumes and sewing is a boreJust come to court in worn-out jeans; we'd never ask for moreIt's more important what's inside than what you won't put onWe'd never tell you differently, for that would just be wrong

And if you are of the Mongol Horde, well, you need not come to courtWhat does that matter, anyhow? With you we'll still consortAnd you can call us "chugwa"; well, that just means "not tribe"We're mindful of your hopes and dreams which we would not deride

chorus

And when it comes to music, just play what e'er you willBeatles filks are quite alright-- we never get our fill!Don't worry 'bout those "period" songs,

or about the way they're madeWe'd rather hear the raunchy ones about the girls you've laid

So if you ever come up to the West you know we'll treat you rightWe'll party 'til the cows come home and howl at the moon all night

We'll tell you, "Welcome to the West,Now please take off your clothes!"

But leave your rapiers behind-- we won't put up with those!

chorus

Yeah, ban the fencersWho are they to act like knights?And that white scarf just makes me barfWe'll soon set things to rightWe're gonna ban the fencers'Cause they don't know right from wrongAnd if you should see to disagreeThen you'd best move along!


The Faerie Harper

AmI'm the teller of the tale, FI'm the actor on the stageAmI'm the singer from your dream-timeFAnd I am spinning through the page

My age is two and twentyI'm leaving Dublin TownFor a summer in the countrySelling songs upon my roundsI have no road companion, I have no fiery steedAnd for to gain my food and shelter, this harp is all I need

It's halfway through the summer, I'm three days on the roadHarping through the woodlands and singing through the grovesTo chance upon a hidden pool near the ending of the dayAnd somewhere in the distance another harper plays

Each note rings clear and haunting in the fading summer lightCalled forth with soft precision by the harpist in the nightThe tune is strange and lilting and I know it must be nearBut turning to find that harper, my heart is filled with fear

For it is no mortal maiden, no mortal maid so fairThat rises from the water with lilies in her hairHer eyes are emerald fire, at once both young and oldHer skin is pale as moonlightWhose touch must leave you cold

The harp she holds before her shines with silver, shell and stoneI can feel the water at my kneesIt chills me to the boneOne step and then another, called forth against my willBut as her arms encircle meThe dawn breaks o'er the hill

She tried to drag me underTo escape the morning's lightBut her glamour has been brokenWith the ending of the nightI struggle hard against herAs the water takes my breathAnd climbing back toward the daySomehow escape from death

I turned around that morningHeaded back the way I cameI'd no more heart for travelNo hunger left for fameOn the long way back to Dublin TownI quickly made my wayAnd what harped away that night from meI'll never ever say

I'm the teller of the taleI'm the actor on the stageI'm the singer from your dream-timeAnd I am spinning through the page,Through the page, through the page…


Hastings 1066

(capo 1) Am G AmWe sailed our way 'cross the treacherous channel Am G EmTo confront the usurper with promises old Am C G AmTo take England's crown or to die in the battle Am G Am G Am G AmThat the Duke should be King as King Edward foretold

Twelve hours in ships as the wind blew us onwardTo the white cliffs of Dover, and then to the shoreWe saddled our horses and struck out for HastingsWhere the priests told us that there was land we could hold

C D G Amchorus: So ride, ride, good knights of Normandy

C D G AmReady your weapons and pennants so bold C D G AmCarry the Pope's banner onward before you C D G AmAnd England will fall before the winter turns cold

At Hastings we waited for Harold in battleAnd sent him a message, his downfall foretoldDuke William has sworn he will hear your death-rattleAnd take all of England to have and to hold

Now just two weeks before at a bridge up in StamfordKing Harold had sent his own brother belowBut now he faced William's knights armored for battleAnd fought us as though he were shod all in stone

chorus

King Harold was dead and his army was shatteredAs we marched out of Hastings for old London TownWe circled that city for two weeks unceasingThen marched into London to see William crowned

But we've word from the North The resistance is formingWith traitors and rebels to Duke William's crownWe'll ride down upon them and cut them back quicklyAnd return here to London 'fore the snow hits the ground

chorus


Silver and Ale

G C G DI've traveled these forests through night and in daylight G C G DI've seen many wonders and heard many tales G C G DAnd counted my blessings in stars and in moonlight G C D GAnd told all my stories for silver and ale

Em C Em DFor the life of a minstrel is my only true calling Em C Em DBrought me down from my homeland, set my feet on the trail G C G DAnd I've walked all the roadways, faced all the dangers G C D GTo spend my life singing for silver and ale

There were times when the profits were not worth the journeyWhen the words could not find me and my spirit would failBut always down the roadway lay another small villageWhere a bard's always welcomed with silver and ale

And when Death comes to take me and silence my musicCast me out of the sunlight and through that dark veil

I'll dance in his courtyard, tune all these gold stringsAnd offer my voice there for silver and ale


I'm a Duke and You're Not (capo 2)

CWell, I've heard some people talkin' F'Bout the high road I've been walkin' CWell it's really more about the things That I can't live without FI've got the finest clothes they're makin'And the greatest care I've taken CNot to dress like those below meYeah, you who used to know me GWon't believe the things I've gotF G C'Cause I'm a Duke and you're not

Fchorus: I'm a Duke and you're not

I can throw those option shots CI love the sound of ringing metalHey, there's one more for the kettle FI'm a Duke and you're not, come and get it while it's hot

CJust set 'em up, I'll knock 'em downPound those guys into the ground GI'm here to show you what I've gotF G C'Cause I'm a Duke and you're not

When it comes to heavy fighting there's some things I really likeFirst, there's the fact that I'm the winnerI never have to buy my dinnerIt doesn't matter what I'm sayin'It's my will they'll be obeyin'('Sides, most people are just weeniesAll my Queens wear string bikinis!)I am really hot to trot 'cause I'm a Duke and you're not (ch)

Well, those other peers they think They know a little 'bout the kingdomAnd the way that things should beYeah, but if they did they'd seeThat it's the fighting men that matterAnd the world would surely shatterIf I didn't play the game, things would never be the sameAnd that's why I'm at the top, 'Cause I'm a Duke and you're not (ch)

Now, I've heard that somewhere out thereThere some guy who likes to singAnd likes to tell his little storiesOh, and wait, there's even moreHe's got a little tune he's singin''Bout some fighters that he's zingin'And some say that one's about meBut I won't give them cause to doubt meThere's no reason to get hot, 'cause I'm a Duke and he's not

I'm a Duke and he's not, he can't block my option shotsHe doesn't even have a CrescentOn the field he isn't present

I'm a Duke and he's not, and all he can do is natterHe can have his chitter-chatterOf the things that really matterHe's a little, I'm a lot, 'cause I'm a Duke and he's not! (ch)


Ghost of the Shetlands

D CCome all you bards, all you singers of legend G C DTellers of tales and of stories so bold D CI've a song I would sing you of the Ghost of the Shetlands G C DOf a woman of beauty and the treasure she holds

She was born youngest daughter to the King of the GypsiesIn a time long since past us, a world long grown coldIt was then that the old kings sailed the world in their great shipsGood steel more valued than silver or gold

The King was a hard man, driven by angerWith a heart hard as iron, and blacker than coalAnd he gave great offense to the Trow of the ShetlandsAnd so in their anger, his daughter they stole

Now the King's men went searching all over the islandsThey found not a trace of his daughter so fairAnd the King in disgrace was returned to his castleWhere he died in his anguish and darkest despair

Now the Trow raised her gently; they called her SilainaThey gave her a voice that was lighter than airAnd her hair grew like gold silk, spun out in fireAnd they taught her their music and stories so rare

Alas, no human child may live on foreverThere came then a day when old Death called her on

But the Trow in their grieving bound up her spiritWith spells and with wardings and stories and songs

Now if you should go riding at night in the ShetlandsYou might find a tree all alone by the shoreAnd you might hear a music that calls to you gentlyAnd into the Trow lands your spirit will soar

To a world loud as thunder, as blinding as lightningAs cold as the granite in these hard castle floorsJust a heartbeat away from the death mask so frighteningPut your hand out to greet her and the whole world is yours

For she's the Ghost of the Shetlands, her eyes darkest sableShe'll tell you the stories first heard long ago*Of the spirits that play in the night, and the talesOf heroes and legends from a time long ago


* Adelaide sings this line “She’ll tale you the tales that a seeker may know”

I Will Stay

C Em7 AmI've lived my life a minstrel F G CAnd made the road my home Em7 AmBeen a vagabond and a drifter F G CAnd spent my time alone Em7 AmUnderneath the gaze of Heaven F G CI've trod my chosen track Em7 AmWith these golden strings to feed me F G CAnd a pack upon my back

I have crafted songs to help meAnd this is what they sayThat every day is HeavenAs I wander on my wayThat every night is like ParadiseBeneath the crown of starsAnd I've sold these dreams for silverIn the taverns and the bars

But in the darkest hoursWhen the crowds have all gone homeWhen the maids have made their way to bedAnd I am all aloneIt's there I see her smilingAnd her sparkling hazel eyesAnd her memory surrounds meAnd takes me by surprise

Now through every waking hourOf every endless dayPast the coming and the goingAs the miles slip awayThrough all of this she haunts meWhile the road still leads me onAnd these songs try to deceive meBut I know that they are wrong

So I've turned this track around meIn answer to these dreamsAnd my wandering days are over nowForever so it seemsBut if there's an angel waiting thereThen what else can I doI'll take the hand that welcomes meAnd I will stay with youYes, I will stay with you...


The Coming of Spring

D FGive me a song, give me rhythm and rhyme C G C DFind the warmth of the sun in the circle of time D FBreathe new life to the trees from the heavens above C G C DOn the cries of an infant, on the wings of a dove

F C Fchorus: And we'll sing Hallelulajah, Hallelulajah

G C DOh for the coming of spring F C FAnd we'll sing Hallelulajah, Hallelulajah G C DOh for the coming of spring

Fill the forest with laughter, the heavens with lightFor a warm moonlit evening filled with lover's delightFill the fields with flowers in colors that pleaseFor all of God’s children take comfort in these (ch)

Let the farmer's prepare all their fields to sowSet the flocks out to pasture where the sweet clover growsAs the world makes its turning in darkness and lightA new day waits beginning on the edge of the night (ch)

Take heart you good gentles and warriors so boldKnow that winter will end as is always foretoldDon't despair for the Spring though it's Winter's dark nightFor it's Spring in your hearts though it's Winter outside (ch)


Documents

Tinker's Minstrel Bard Songbook.doc · Web viewD G A capo 3. I left her on a clear and sunny morning. D G A