The Tale of Cu Chulainn

In the sodden snow of the Irish hills Was born a Tuatha's child With a fighting heart and immortal skill And a spirit fiery and wild Through a prophecy he was bound and doomed To a short and a glorious life And he bore the name Setanta till A famous fateful night With his hurley in his hands His name would cross the land Well his Uncle Connor who wore the crown Of Ulster on his head In the home of Culainn the smith sat down For mead and mutton and bread At the door lay the Cú, the faithful hound A huge and and terrible beast When a thief or enemy trod his ground Their bones became his feast Well Setanta joined them late at night And the hound it leapt to shred But he raised his hurley, pucked the ball Right through the poor beast's head He spoke remorse as the smith he cried For his lost and murdered hound 'I will be your Cú now from this night Till another you have found' So he lay outside the door One eye watching on the moors And the name Cú Chulainn Was sung out loud that night In a tale of rage and ruin and of might And the name Cú Chulainn So furious and wild To remain in myth and memory A legend of the isle Cosantóir tragóideach (Tragic guardian) Fuil dhiaga Lú (Divine blood of Lugh) Finscéal an Chú (Legend of the hound) Cosantóir tragóideach (Tragic guardian) Fuil dhiaga Lú (Divine blood of Lugh) Currach lán le fiúnach (Boat filled with fury) Finscéal an Chú (Legend of the hound) Cosantóir tragóideach (Tragic guardian) Fuil dhiaga Lú (Divine blood of Lugh) Finscéal an Chú (Legend of the hound) Cosantóir tragóideach (Tragic guardian) Fuil dhiaga Lú (Divine blood of Lugh) Curadh lán le fiúnach (Warrior filled with fury) Finscéal an Chú (Legend of the hound) He trained on the Isle of Sky and Shadow Bore an abandoned son And met his battle brother Ferdiad Many a tale they spun Well he fought with the strength of many men A beast who bloodied the fields In a bloodlust battle frenzy His skin would shift and peel His son would find him as man But would not tell his name So he took a spear to his own child And doomed himself to shame When the canny Queen Méabh attacked his land To steal the bull of brown She sent out Ferdiad to fight Cú Chualainn struck him down Blood of son and brother fell He wailed and cried farewell And the name Cú Chulainn Was sung out loud that night In a tale of rage and ruin and of might And the name Cú Chulainn So furious and wild To remain in myth and memory A legend of the isle Cosantóir tragóideach Fuil dhiaga Lú Finscéal an Chú Cosantóir tragóideach Fuil dhiaga Lú Curadh lán le fiúnach Finscéal an Chú When the father of fair Emer Refused to give her to wed Cú Chulainn tore his castle down And left the whole place dead They loved eachother, man and wife Despite his many affairs Then he met the Morrigan, turned her down And earned her vengeful glare She weakened him and broke his strength With trickery and lies By feeding him the flesh of dogs Three crones were her disguise The Queen and Lugaid saw their chance To fight the Cú and win When he battled next 3 spears were thrown And one tore through his skin So he tied himself to a mighty stone By his guts and belt he hung And so he still stood on his feet Till the last breath it left his lungs And a light shone out so grand Till the raven came to land And the name Cú Chulainn Was sung out loud that night In a tale of rage and ruin and of might And the name Cú Chulainn So furious and wild To remain in myth and memory A legend of the isle Scaoil amach on ceol! (Let loose the music!)