feel the air
Blowing through my hair

Now into the dawn Iґm heading again
The hills are calling my name
Like a leaf on the ground Iґm blown away
I wasnґt born to stay

Living for the roads I see
Iґm wild, Iґm free
A stranger from the past
But Iґm not the last

ґCause the road goes on and on; the road goes on and on
The road goes on and on; the road goes on and on
Donґt know if itґs a curse or just another kind of blood
But my road goes on and on
Yes the road goes ever on

Now the sun sinks; the air is growing chill
I lie down under just another tree
The last grey daylight dies
Now as I close my eyes

Then the shadows surround me again
A cool wind touches my face
The empty landscape fills my mind
Guess Iґm behind my time

And yet Iґll always be
Though my time is done
In darkness, in the sun
Travel on

ґCause the road goes on and on; the road goes on and on
The road goes on and on; the road goes on and on
No Iґm not antisocial; I am of another kind
And my road goes on and on
The road goes ever on

You know me; Iґm in your dreams
Though you hide it well
Iґm who youґd wish you were
The traveller

ґCause the road goes on and on; the road goes on and on
The road goes on and on; the road goes on and on
Iґve lived my life, fulfilled my dreams
Iґm not afraid to die
But my road goes on and on
Yes the road goes ever on

The road goes on and on...


Tree

A thousand years Iґve stood here; Iґll stand a thousand more
Seen kingdoms rise and fall; seen pestilence and war

How swift are your little lives; how swiftly you forget

My roots are deep in your forefathersґ bones
My head in the air that you breath
When you freeze I submit to your fire
When youґre hot come seek shadow beneath...

Tree - tall as a mountain
Older than fathers of kings of men
Stood here and watched while your heroes died
I am your memory; I am incarnate life

My branches your cradle; I watched the rise of man
While you wished upon the stars; I never left the land

And youґve hung villains from my arms
Nailed prophets high on my chest
In your mind you may be the master
But in the soil we both shall rest

Tree - tall as a mountain...

Youґve convinced yourselves you were cast out of Eden
But you left willingly in pride
Now when you freeze in your castles of stone
Do you think you were right
Do you think you were right

Tree - tall as a mountain...

How fragile are your lives; how fragile your dreams

And you shall ache with thirst in eroded landscapes
(Thereґs no escape)
Last species alone in a field of stone
But listen mankind; what I tell is true
From a buried seed a forest will be
You may destroy; but you cannot undo


Longing For The Woods
Part I: the wild children

In their veins still runs the blood of the wild
Deep within their hearts the earliest of songs
In their eyes the light of the first of days
But the road is hidden
And theyґre so far, so far away

Staring into the darkness
Something stirs inside
A longing for something left long ago
Delving into darkness
Cannot stay inside
The moon is young and clear
And the fire is drawing them near

They gather in the shadows
In their eyes a fire light
Warriors and maidens fair
Bonded by a love implied

Now the wind calls
A storm from the past
Night falls
And theyґre longing for the woods

In the shade I stand and watch them
Like a scene from an ancient dream
Trying hard to awaken the Gods
In the hour of the fall
But it was long ago and it was far away
Will anyone hear
The wild childrenґs call


Highland Winds

I was roaming far from home
Far from the town that I left behind
Out in the wild; under open sky

Found myself in a field of green
Fairest of lands that I ever saw
The wind was different there; under open sky

Wind - whiped the tears off my face
Light - shone a way through the haze
Clouds cast shadows on fields below
Rain fell but was no longer cold

Felt I was stranded out of time
Gently touched by the breath of the Gods
Colours primeval; under open sky

Wind...

And the world may be falling
Still the pipes are calling me home

Highland winds you own my soul
Gladly I laid it in your hands
Let me roam in these green, green lands
And never shall I grow old

I believe I could sit here a thousand years
Feeding on air; watching nothing change
Thinking this is a good place to die
This is a good place to die

Sad was the day when I had to go
Back to the town that I left behind
Enamoured for life; under open sky

But in my mind this landґs forever clear
And in my thoughts I will travel there
To ease all pain and calm my fear; under open sky
A piece of me remains; under open sky
I left my heart; under open sky

Highland winds you own my soul...

Thinking this is a good place to die
But a better place to live


Longing For The Woods
Part II: the ring of fire

In my veins still runs the blood of the wild
Deep within my heart the earliest of songs
In my eyes the light of the first of days
But the road is hidden
And Iґm so far, so far away

Turning another page in the book
Iґm beginning to wonder
Does it get any better or worse than this
Searching for motives to stop me from screaming
Donґt know when I awoke
Just know I was better off dreaming

I am the Wanderer
Iґve seen many a shore
But the road I long the most to go
Is closed for evermore

Now the wind calls
A storm from the past
Night falls
And Iґm longing for the woods

I believe if I found the lost road back
I would see myself in that ring of fire
Maybe that is what I fear the most
For then I am now only a ghost

I left my heart in the woods
Will it ever be found again

Happy was I then, and hopeful
Trusted in the morning light
Now the sun warms me no longer
Though painfully bright

Roaming am I now, and lost
And burned down the fire
Could it be lit just one more time
Then let it be my pyre


The Bollard

A strong wind blew across the bay
A word for happiness on that day
The workers board their trains for home
Their shirts were dirty and damp

And I stood there just like before
A nod from a stud or a smile from a whore
It all seemed so impermanent though
I think that it never will change

I went down the old narrow road
That leads to the shore and to Sallyґs old boat
I went aboard and I rowed away
To get to the other side

And they all lit a fire on the beach that night
And all their troubles were out of sight
I just walked in and I tied the boat
To a tree in the edge of the wood

And they all sang a song called the bottle of smoke
They blew their whistles, their drums they stroke
And the fair young ladies they danced in the night
To the sound of the band in the flickering light


Bad Hobbits Die Hard

(instrumental)


Longing For The Woods
Part III: Herneґs Prophecy

I met the old man
In the depths of the woods
He said: Iґll show thee a bit of the future
If perchance thou wilt listen

The wanderer:
"The journey it has been so long
Is it the end that we feel drawing nearer
Though we keep on learning more
Nothing seems to get any clearer"

The Hunter:
"Man he must search his heart
Though he will not like what he findeth
I can tell him no truth
That he doth not already know

Turn the ghostship around
Climb back into the cradle
At least to die in dignity
Surrender now or be brought home in chains
The Motherspirit will conquer all
With or without thee the kingdom shall fall"

The Wanderer:
"Can it be done, can the Gods be awoken
Can we rewrite the tale, is the cradle not broken"

The Hunter:
"Not all the future is equally clear
It may be the end that you feel drawing near
Search in your hearts
If they still hold the truth
The voice from the past is the future
The longing for the woods"

And the old man, lord of the hunters of old
Disappeared in the depths of the woods
Left me with a strange sensation
That maybe one day...

The wind calls
A storm from the past
Night falls
And weґre longing for the woods


Land Of Olden Glory

Once a young boy he set out
Upon the road to fame a fortune
Full of hope for all looks bright in daylight
But the young boy he must learn
That the roadґs twisted and turned
And dangerous to travel after midnight

Born out of the fire
One night out in the wild
When the dawn broke free
I seemed only a helpless child

When from the dying embers
A sapling seemed to grow
O, could it be it showed to me
The way to go

Stumbling onto shaky ground
Not knowing what was to be found

Set sails for the future
Or dwell in realms long lost

A neverending battle
Where the dark outshines the bold
A mounting cost of dreamers lost
And growing old

Yet ever striding onwards
The quest will never rest
A hunter in the dark
And you will never catch me again

Iґm growing stronger now
With every wound I get somehow
You canґt take nothing from me
Anymore, because I...

Left the land of olden glory
Journeyed through the night
Leave a light for me my friend
And I will come inside

Life is a road that is twisted and turned
Children of the sun grow up and get burned
We should treasure our past but still travel light
And beware on whos doors we knock in the night
I know I have friends, I am never alone
But I am a wanderer, the road is my home

And in the light of moon
You may hear me singing

Left the land...

Once a young boy he set out
Upon the road to fame a fortune
Full of hope for all looks bright in daylight
But this young boy he must learn
That the roadґs twisted and turned
And dangerous to travel after midnight


Lament For Lуrien

Out of battle I did come
Afraid of darkness, afraid of the sun
The Gods led my feet to the kingdom now gone
Fairest of them all; Fairest of them all

Blessйd be the golden wood
Where trees were new that ages stood
For haunted souls a sanctuary true
And fairest of them all; Fairest of them all

Oh what joy, what balm for wounds
To stray beneath the stars
Where elvenmaids did dance as light
As leaf on lindentree; Leaf on lindentree

In the mirror I did see
What haunts me in my dreams, brings me to my knees
Would that foreґer I could hide midst the trees
In Lуrien the fair

Could I stay I would never leave
Could I stay I would ever be
In timeless land where shineth no moon
Yet I must leave here soon

Oh the burden laid on me
My quest is hard to bear
Succes and failure both shall be
The end of Goldenfair

I set my sails and leave this world
To me all seemeth bare
For neverafter shall I walk
In Lуrien the fair

A dream now gone, a name in a song
The garden of the Gods, faded and lost
Noone now lingers where mallorn once grew
And my worldґs fading too

Ai! lauriл lantar lassi sъrinen...


Memory Within A Memory

(instrumental)


The Tapdancer/Gather Ye Wild (reprise)

(instrumental)


The Tapdancer is dedicated to Nigel Tufnel
Gather Ye Wild (reprise) is dedicated to Franz Beckerlee