Lady Of Shalott lyrics

Song information

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt
Album: Live In Paris And Toronto

Lyrics

Music by loreena mckennitt
Lyrics 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 trho' 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 disk 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
Listing, 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 hath 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 with lights

And music, went to camelot;

Or when the moon was overhead
Came two young lovers lately wed
"I am, half sick of shadow," she 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

And 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 water-lily bloom
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 -- photo

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; -- photo

Down she cam and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat
And round the prow she wrote

The lady of shalott

Down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance

She looked to camelot

And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and shown she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away

The lady of shalott

Heard a carol, mournful, holy
Chanted loudly, chanted slowly
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

And out upon the wharfs they came
Knight and burgher, lord and dame
And round 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;
They crossed themselves for fear

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

But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land

[from http://lyrics.doheth.co.uk]

"Live In Paris And Toronto" album track list