Songbook: The Crimson Tree

Lyrics: Rory Inglis
Tune: Harry Wright

Melody

Melody with flute duet

Lyrics

I can see a great green tree that shelters me from the sky,
It stands up high to remind us if we fall back we will die,
The coming of darkness that descends from the north,
So hold to your memory of home and set fourth,
And coat the world with scarlet colours and tear the paint from their bones.

Chorus:
So sing our foes
Around the crimson tree
So sing the crows
As we fought round the crimson tree.

I can see a great green tree that shelters me from the rain,
It stands in vain to protect us from the yoke of Viking chains,
A coming of darkness descends o’er my eyes,
I see all the world ending but hope will arise,
we’ll coat the world in scarlet colours and rip the paint from their bones.

Chorus:
So sing our foes
Around the crimson tree
So sing the crows
As we fought round the crimson tree.

I can see a great green tree that shelters me from the sun,
Our flanks are fleeing but our hearts will never be undone.
A dreadful darkness descends o’er my mind,
But we will not end with the path they designed,
yet coat the world in scarlet colours and rend the paint from their bones.

Chorus:
So sing our foes
Around the crimson tree
So sing the crows
As we fought round the crimson tree.

I can see a crimson tree above my weary head,
The leaves are falling downwards to where my brothers all are dead,
The darkness has come, and there’s nowhere to run,
(At this point I’m wishing that I became a Nun)
I’ll stand upon corpses and fight till I’m done,
I’ll coat this tree in scarlet colours and tear the paint from our bones.

Chorus:
So sing our foes
Around the crimson tree
So sing the crows
As we died on the crimson tree.

Copyright 2022, Harry Wright and Rory Inglis

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