I Was Just Seventeen (Loughrask) (Danny Carnehan) I was just seventeen when to West Clare I came To serve Lord O'Lachlann and fight in his name And he gave me a sword and he promised me fame If I'd lay down my life for the Burren But worries we'd none through the westering year As I courted my maiden and hunted the deer And my sword gathered dust as we'd nothing to fear Till the snows brought a messenger riding And he cried a fierce army crossed over the far hills Our land to despoil, our cattle to kill So we took up our banner and marched with a will To beat them away from the Burren So certain of glory we marched with the tide Through snow covered stones where the wild rabbits hide And we stopped where Loughrask lay so peaceful and wide And a cry echoed over the water And the grey hag she rose where no foot hold could be In the still waters wide with her back to the sea Saying soldier of Lachlann take warning from me Get you gone Lord O'Lachlann, return while you may For your fate is decreed if you march on your way And no man may fight with you and live out the day And a cold wind will blow on the Burren Lachlann just smiled as he raised up his hand I hark not to vision nor bow to demand And there's no one on earth be devil or man Can lure me to faithless surrender And the cursed outlanders who march to the fore Will rue the cruel fate that has tempted them o'er For we go in God's name as we march on to war So to heaven or hell as it please you And I wanted to run but I didn't dare try And the hag she just stood as our army marched by And I wish I'd spit in my Lord Lachlann's eye For a cold wind blew on the Burren The foe fell upon us with scarcely a sound And we froze in confusion, fair feast for their hounds And quickly and cruelly they cut Lachlann down And they harvested us like ripe barley And now wounded I lie though my warning was clear And scarce was the glory awaiting me here And this heart that beat only to comfort my dear Now stains the white snows of the evening Were we true to our duty, God only knows And it won't even matter to Him, I suppose When we melt away with the last winter's snows copyright Danny Carnehan AJS
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