The angel Gabriel from heaven came

His wings as drifted snow

His eyes as flame

All hail said he thou lowly maiden Mary

Most highly favored lady, Gloria, Gloria

For known a blessed mother thou shalt be All generations laud and honor thee Thy Son shall be Emanuel By seers foretold Most highly favored maid, Gloria, Gloria

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head

To me be as it pleaseth God, she said,

My soul shall laud and magnify His holy name.

Most highly favored lady, Gloria, Gloria

The boy child is locked in the fisherman's yard

There's a bloodless moon where the oceans die

A shoal of nightstars hang fire in the nets

And the chaos of cages where the crayfish lie

Where is the fisherman where is the goat?

Where is the keeper in his carrion coat?

Eclipse on the moon when the dark bird flies

Where is the child with his father's eyes?

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

He's the king of the ninth world

The twisted son of the fog bells toll

In each and every lobster cage

A tortured human soul

These are the souls of the broken factories

The subject slaves of the broken crown

The dead accounting of old guilty promises

These are the souls of the broken town

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

I have a wager' the brave child spoke

The fisherman laughed, though disturbed at the joke.

You will drink what I drink but you must equal me

And if the drink leaves me standing,

A soul shall go free'

I have here a cask of most magical wine

A vintage that blessed every ship in the line

It's wrung from the blood of the sailors who died

Young white body adrift in the tide'

And what's in it for me my pretty young thing?

Why should I whistle, when the caged bird sings?

If you lose a wager with the king of the sea

You'll spend the rest of forever in the cage with me'

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

A body lies open in the fisherman's yard

Like the side of a ship where the iceberg rips

One less soul in the soul cages

One last curse on the fisherman's lips

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

These are the soul cages

Swim to the light

Swim to the light

He dreamed of the ship on the sea

It would carry his father and he

To a place they could never be found

To a place far away from this town

A Newcastle ship without coals

They would sail to the island of souls

There is no rose of such virtue

As is the rose that bare Jesu,

Alleluia.

For in this rose contained was

Heaven and earth in little space,

Res miranda.

By that rose we may well see

That he is God in persons three,

Pari forma.

The angels sungen the shepherds to:

Gloria in excelsis deo:

Gaudeamus.

Leave we all this worldly mirth,

And follow we this joyful birth,

Transeamus.

Alleluia, res miranda,

Pares forma, gaudeamus,

Transeamus.

Oh the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing

And the corn it ripens fastest when the frosts are setting in,

And when a woman tells me that my face she'll soon forget,

Before we part I want to croon, she's fain to follow yet.

Oh the snow it melts the soonest when the wind begins to sing,

And the swallow skims without a thought as long as it is Spring,

But when Spring goes and Winter grows, my loss and you'll be fain,

For all your pride you'll follow my across the stormy main.

Oh the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing,

The bee that flew when Summer shone, in Winter cannot sting,

I've seen a woman's anger melt between the night and morn

And it's surely not a harder thing to tame a woman's scorn.

Oh never say me farewell here, no farewell I'll receive,

For you shall take me to the stile, I'll kiss and take your leave,

But I'll stay here 'til the woodcock comes and the matler takes his wing

Since the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing.

All day we fought the tides between the North Head and the South

All day we hauled the frozen sheets, to 'scape the storm's wet mouth

All day as cold as charity, in bitter pain and dread

For very life and nature we tacked from head to head

Thograinn thograinn bhith dol dhachaidh

E ho ro e ho ro

Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn

E ho hi ri ill iu o

Ill iu o thograinn falbh

Gu Sgoirebreac a' chruidh chais-fhionn

E ho ro e ho ro

Ceud soraidh bhuam mar bu dual dhomh

We gave the South a wider berth, for there the tide-race roared

But every tack we made we brought the North Head close aboard

We saw the cliffs and houses, and the breakers running high,

And the coastguard in his garden, his glass against his eye

Thograinn thograinn bhith dol dhachaidh

E ho ro e ho ro

Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn

E ho hi ri ill iu o

The frost was on the village roofs as white as ocean foam

The good red fires were burning bright in every 'longshore home

The windows sparkled clear, and the chimneys volleyed out

And I vow we sniffed the victuals as the vessel went about

Thograinn thograinn bhith dol dhachaidh

E ho ro e ho ro

Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn

E ho hi ri ill iu o

The bells upon the church were rung with a mighty jovial cheer

For it's just that I should tell you how (of all days in the year)

This day of our adversity was blessed Christmas morn,

And the house above the coastguard's was the house where I was born

Thograinn Thograinn?

E ho ro e ho ro

Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn

E ho hi ri ill iu o

Ill iu o thograinn falbh

Gu Sgoirebreac a' chruidh chais-fhionn

E ho ro e ho ro

Ceud soraidh bhuam mar bu dual dhomh

And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me

Of the shadow on the household and the son that went to sea

And O the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way

To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed Christmas Day

Thograinn thograinn bhith dol dhachaidh

E ho ro e ho ro

Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn

E ho hi ri ill iu o

Ill iu o thograinn falbh

Gu Sgoirebreac a' chruidh chais-fhionn

E ho ro e ho ro

Ceud soraidh bhuam mar bu dual dhomh

Thograinn thograinn bhith dol dhachaidh

E ho ro e ho ro

Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn

E ho hi ri ill iu o

Ill iu o thograinn falbh

Lo how a rose e'er blooming

From tender stem has sprung

Of Jesse's lineage, coming

As men of old has sung

It came a flow'red bright

Amid the cold of winter

When half-spent was the night

Isaiah, 'twas foretold it

This rose that I have in mind

And with Mary we behold it

The Virgin Mother, so sweet and so kind

She bore to men a Saviour

When half-spent was the night

To show God's love all right

She bore to men a Saviour

When half-spent was the night

What power art thou?

Who from below hast made me rise

Unwillingly and slow

From beds of everlasting snow?

See'st thou not how stiff, how stiff

And wondrous old

Far, far unfit to bear the bitter cold

I can scarcely move

Or draw my breath

Can scarcely move

Or draw my breath

Let me, let me, let me freeze again

Let me, let me freeze again to death

Let me, let me, let me freeze again to death

As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow

Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow

And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near

A pretty babe, all burning bright did in the air appear

Who, scorch'd with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed

As though his floods should quench his flames which with his tears were fed

Alas, quoth he, but newly born in fiery heats I fry

Yet none approach to warm their hearts or feel my fire but I!

My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns

Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns

The fuel justice layeth on, and mercy blows the coals

The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defiled souls

For which, as now on fire, I am to work them to their good

So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood

With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away

And straight I call'd unto mind that it was Christmas day

Now winter comes slowly, pale, meager and old

First trembling with age, and then quiv'ring with cold,

Benumb'd with hard frosts, and with snow cover'd o'er,

Prays the sun to restore him, and sings as before.

Mercury falling

I rise from my bed

Collect my thoughts together

I have to hold my head

It seems that she's gone

And somehow I am pinned by

The Hounds of Winter

Howling in the wind

I walk through the day

My coat around my ears

I look for my companion

I have to dry my tears

It seems that she's gone

Leaving me too soon

I'm as dark as December

I'm as cold as the Man in the Moon

I still see her face

As beautiful as day

It's easy to remember

Remember my love that way

All I hear is that lonesome sound

The Hounds of Winter

They follow me down

I can't make up the fire

The way that she could

I spend all my days

In the search for dry wood

Board all the windows and close the front door

I can't believe she won't be here anymore

I still see her face

As beautiful as day

It's easy to remember

Remember my love that way

All I hear is that lonesome sound

The Hounds of Winter

They follow me down

A season for joy

A season for sorrow

Where she's gone

I will surely, surely follow

She brightened my day

She warmed the coldest night

The Hounds of Winter

They got me in their sights

I still see her face

As beautiful as day

It's easy to remember

Remember my love that way

All I hear is that lonesome, lonesome sound

The Hounds of Winter

They harry me down

I come from hevin which to tell

The best nowells that e'er befell

To you thir tythings trew I bring

And I will of them say and sing.

This day to you is born ane child

Of Marie meik and Virgin mild

That bliss it bairn bening and kind

Sall you rejoice baith hart and mind.

Lat us rejoyis and be blyth

And with the Hyrdis go full swyth

And see what God fo his grace hes done

Throu Christ to bring us to his throne

My saull and life stand up and see

Wha lyis in ane cribbe of tree

What Babe is that, sa gude and fair

It is Christ, God's Son and Air.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit

Prepair thy creddil in my spreit!

And I sall rock thee in my hart

And never mair fra thee depart.

But I sall praise thee evermoir

With sangis sweit unto thy gloir

The kneis of my hart sall I bow

And sing that rycht Balulalow.

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he

He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

When Joseph and Mary were walking one day

Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold

Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold

Then Mary spoke to Joseph so meek and so mild

Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child

Oh, Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child

Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger he flew

Oh, let the father of the baby gather cherries for you

Oh, let the father of the baby gather cherries for you

So the cherry-tree bowed low down, low down to the ground

And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down

And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down

Then Joseph took Mary, all on his right knee

Crying, "Lord, have mercy for what I have done"

Crying, "Lord, have mercy for what I have done"

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he

He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

Hush child

Let your mommy sleep into the night until we rise

Hush child

Let me soothe the shining tears that gather in your eyes

Hush child

I won't leave, I'll stay with you to cross this Bridge of Sighs

Hush child

I can't help the look of accusation in your eyes

In your eyes

The world is broken now

All in sorrow

Wise men hang their heads

Hush child

Let your mommy sleep into the night until we rise

Hush child

All the strength I'll need to find, I'll find inside your eyes

In your eyes

The world is broken now

All in sorrow

Wise men hang their heads

Hush child

Let your mommy sleep into the night until we rise

Hush child

All the strength I'll need to find, I'll find inside your eyes

In your eyes

In the snow there stands a hurdy gurdy man

With his frozen fingers plays as best he can

Barefoot on the ice he shuffles to and fro

And his empty plate, it only fills with snow

And his empty plate, it only fills with snow

No one wants to hear his hurdy gurdy song

Hungry dogs surround him and before too long

He will fall asleep and then before too long

He'll just let it happen, happen come what may

Play his hurdy gurdy 'til his dying day

Watching you, old man, I see myself in you

One day I will play the hurdy gurdy too

Always this winter child

December's sun sits low against the sky

Cold light on frozen fields

The cattle in their stable lowing

When two walked this winter road

10, 000 miles seemed nothing to us then

One walks with heavy tread

The space between their footsteps slowing

All day the snow did fall

What's left of the day is close drawn in

I speak your name as if you'd answer me

But the silence of the snow is deafening

How well do I recall our arguments

Our logic owed no debts or recompense

Philosophy and faith were ghosts

That we would chase until

The gates of heaven were broken

But something makes me turn, I don't know

To see another's footsteps there in the snow

I smile to myself and then I wonder why it is

You only cross my mind in winter