Strawbs - The Soldiers' Tale lyrics
rate meThe watchers on the hillside stand in silence <br />
As the dawn appears<br />
Then they gather to their horses in an instant<br />
As a sunshaft sears<br />
Through the morning mist which hangs low in the valleys<br />
Like a serpent's tail<br />
Both poisonous to enemies and heroes<br />
In the soldiers' tale.<br />
<br />
A lonely tower stands empty as a refuge<br />
By the sullen lake<br />
As the straggle of survivors, in their weakness,<br />
Make a grave mistake<br />
For the crossroad sign which points towards the cost<br />
Is another nail<br />
In the cross of the Pretender and his comrades<br />
In the soldiers' tale.<br />
<br />
The dream we once knew<br />
Is now over<br />
The battle is lost<br />
The retreat has begun<br />
Let us make our escape<br />
In the dead of the night<br />
While the lone widows wail<br />
In the soldiers' tale.<br />
<br />
The French boat, at the ready, stands at anchor<br />
On the swollen tide<br />
His loyal followers raise a faint cheer<br />
As he draws aside<br />
The Pretender's cause is lost, a sad farewell<br />
As the boat sets sail<br />
And the rain hurls down on the challenge of the gauntlet<br />
In the soldiers' tale.<br />
<br />
The soldiers' song is never sung<br />
The soldiers' battle never won<br />
The soldiers' lives are bought an sold<br />
The soldiers' bayonets are cold<br />
The soldiers' guns are never fired<br />
The soldiers' eyes are never tired<br />
The soldiers' hearts are filled with hate<br />
A soldier's cause must ever wait.
