The Wolfe Tones - The Sailor St. Brendan

Saint Brendan
He sailed o'er the western seas
With stars as his guide
And with sail and with breeze
With God as his helper
His helmsman who guides
His boat is his church and
His friend is the tide
With saintly men 'round him
He journeyed the foam
Strange birds and strange fishes
And waters unknown

For he tried to seek land
That was promised to all
'Twas taught of in stories
And westward it called
Saint Brendan and those who were
With him who sailed
Just like the Milesians sought out Inisfail

I'm sure you have heard of Hy-Brasilin lore
Of gaels who had travelled to western shores
With a boat made of oak and the hyde of an ox
You were ah but a master to all of your flock
Through storm and through calm and
In tempest and fog
The spiritual tales of your journey did log

For you bade your disciples
They be not afraid
For they feared and they wondered
On all that they gazed
And the seas that you voyaged
Strange lands that you called
Your own native Kerry you loved above all

You saw islands of sheep and
Saw mountains of fire
And beasts that devoured and
An island of choirs
Pillars of crystal and rivers so wide
And beaches that ran out for
Miles with the tide
You have eaten strange foods and
You drank from strange wells
Saw fountains and demons you
Thought of as hell
And an island of grapes, oh
Who knows where it lay?
On a sea that was clear
Sailed for many a day for Saint Brendan
You searched for some mystic terrain
With the way of the cross it
Would not be in vain

From the church of Ardfert to
Mountain Brandon's tall reeds
May the ruins of the abbey
Past glories they speak
Be it legend or fable, the stories of gaels
To many lands travelled where
Boats could hoist sail

From the cross of Iona to
The plains of Ukraine
One sang out your praises
Remembered your name
Your stories and travels revered with renown
Through centuries later
Wise scribes written down
And today as our ships sail
With honour and grace
Be the sailor Saint Brendan the
Guide of our race

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Lyrics © BARDIS MUSIC, USA ATTN: PETER BARDON

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