Exiles lyrics

Song information

Artist: Cruachan
Album: Folk-Lore

Lyrics

[Music: kf, jf words: kf]

Loneliness was all she knew
Because of her god sent beauty
Evil and carnage were sure to ensure
Her death was conchobars duty
The high king conchobar would not dare
So he did her away from his people
"Deirdre will live and grow up fair
Then marry me in my temple"

[18 yrs. later]
She was disgusted by conchobar
And vowed she would not be wed
"I love only the man who bears the colours-
Black white and blood red"
"I know such man!", her aide explained
But deirdre could only hope
Uisneach's sons were led to the forest
With naoise, she would elope

No place was safe for the four exiles
They left eireann with heavy hearts
But to see her face and see her smile
Gave the brothers strength to depart
In albas' hills they made their home
And began a simple life
Local hatred had suddenly grown
Men wanted her as a wife

Conchobar dreamed of deirdre his true love
He longed for the touch of her skin
His duties neglected, his life so affected
"Why did she leave the court of the king?"
After some time he explained he was wrong
Or so we were led to believe
"This sorrowful song I have sung for too long
Naoise agus deirdre I now forgive"

Naoise always longed to go back home
When he heard the news he wept
The brothers prepared for the journey ahead
With fergus mac roth they all left
The exiles returned to the king alone
And knew there was something not right
Conchobar made his plans be known
The brothers took up the fight

The exiles fled to the sorrowful forest
Foloowed by the king's men
Deirdre was hidden but they needed rest
They could not fight again
Naoise smelt death and he quietly said-
"Please deirdre stay where you are"
A belt of a sword and the brothers fell dead
Deirdre smelt blood on the air

[Conchobar:]
"Cannot you see, I did this for you
Our wedding can now take place"
They left for fern mag, as the cold wind blew
In a chariot she felt deaths embrace
"I am deirdre, for a short time alive
To end life be evil, 'tis worse to survive"
From the chariot she fell to her death
To be with naoise, to smell his sweet breath