White Swans
(tune: In The Pines)

chorus:

White swans, white swans, children of Lir,
Swimming upon the lough
Play the tune, sing that song
The true magic of the sidhe

I walked by the Lake of the Oaks
Strolling along the shore
The music lilted in the morning air
I looked and found four white swans

chorus:

The first swan cried and spoke to me:

"We were cursed by my father's wife
For nine hundred years we swim the seas
Singing the songs of our father's land
Singing the songs of the sidhe"

Chorus:

The second one wept and spoke to me:

"Three hundred years spent on the lake of Oaks
Three hundred on the stormy Straits
Three hundred more in Inis Gluaire
Before we can return home again"

Chorus:

The third swan grieved and sang to me:

"Though the years may turn stones to dust
We must wait wait for the newborn God
Ringing his bell across the land
Calling to carry us home"

Chorus:

The fourth swan mourned and called to me:

The Children of Danu have left the land
Forced by an invader's hand
Their forts are gone, no more they'll sing
Nevermore will their laughter ring

Chorus:

I walked away from the four white swans
Weeping as I walked home
Their lullaby lingered in the air
The last song of the sidhe