I have been singing the Sound of a tear not cried, written by Karine Polwart and recorded on the Three Raven's CD from Malinky, for a while. I searched here but could not find any transcription of the lyrics. I'll post my version here with what I could find out about the words I didn't know. I muddle through some sections (indicated by square brackets) and I'd appreciate help filling those sections.

The Sound of a Tear Not Cried
Karine Polwart

Two men came to your hall door
And you did not let them in
You did not care what had brought them there
They were bones covered o'er with skin

When you looked again they were five and ten
All sighing a sorrowful sound
Did you hear the knell of a warning bell
Or the sound of a hunting hound

Then a hundred more came to your door
A muttering and [marking their names?]
Still you scored at the scaithe
Your eyes sa claith
To keep them for the wind and rain

And as the night grew long
Did you hear the throng
Roar like the [Rowyach tide?]
Through the rising flood, did you hear your own blood
Or the sound of a tear not cried

They will wait no more at your hall door
For their waiting days are done
There's no lock, nor key that can hold back the sea
There's no chains on the rising sun




In the second line of the third verse it sounds more like "marking their mainth" but I have no idea what that would mean.

In the third and fourth line I think a scaith is a scythe (as in the one death has - thanks to Jen Gow for that one!) and "eyes so claith" means eyes so closed, but then that wouldn't rhyme with scythe :-)

What or where is a Rowyach tide? pronounced row (as in a fight) yak (with a german sounding ch sound at the end)

It's a great tune - went down a treat on halloween!