The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake Lyrics - Singles - Strawbs

The boatman rose to the sound of his heartbeat 

Loud in the silent approach of the dawn 

He glanced through the window at mist on the lake 

Which hung like a shroud in the still of the morn 

The silver cobwebs spun with the dew 

Hung from the bushes in filigree splendor 

And water lilies asleep on the lake 

Were reflected so delicate, tranquil and tender. 

The boat man sighed as he strode through the woods 

To the place where his boat lay moored to a stake 

The hollow sound as his footsteps echoed 

Until the sound was lost on the lake 

He cast off, poling the boat from the shore 

Peering a head through damp clinging haze 

He thought that he saw strange swirling shapes 

A trick on the eyes that the mist often plays. 

So intent was the boatman on crossing the lake 

That he failed to notice the current that flowed 

Leading his boat from familiar parts 

He was firmly, yet somehow unknowingly, towed 

All at once the mist seemed to lift 

Sufficient to show the boatman a pool 

That he'd never seen in the whole of his life 

Unnaturally deep, black and silent, and cool. 

The boatman's shirt clung to his back 

He was sweating both from exertion and fear 

He had the sensation that someone was watching 

He felt the presence of somebody near 

An invisible force prevented him moving 

The strength of his arms was utterly sapped 

The twisted bushes converged round the lake 

Like a fish in a net he was trapped. 

Suddenly out of the water before him 

The wraith-like form of a maiden appeared 

Clad in shimmering radiant robes 

The maiden materialized as she neared 

The hair which finely crowned her head 

Was a halo of golden reflecting the sun 

All of the beautiful women of time 

Were formed all at once into one. 

She handed the boatman the sword she was holding 

Which flashed iridescent before his eyes 

Excalibur surely was hardly a match 

For a sword that simple description defies 

The boatman stood transfixed by her gaze 

Which reached to the depths of his very soul 

To he who could conquer the evils of life 

She offered herself as a whole. 

The maiden vanished before his gaze 

Leaving him clutching the sword in his fist 

The hairs on the nape of his neck seemed to stiffen 

A creature approached him from out of the mist 

It was powerful, huge and yet stupid indeed 

For it held right back and failed to attack 

The boatman struck at its small stupid eyes 

And it crashed to the ground and lay on its back. 

Without a warning the sky seemed to blacken 

As though the sun were in total eclipse 

The boatman crouched low as a vast eagle swooped 

And a horrified cry escaped from his lips 

It strutted before him with pride in its bearing 

Admiring its talons both vicious and cruel 

Taking advantage the boatman struck fast 

And the eagle slid to the depths of the pool. 

The terrified boatman tried moving his boat 

But his pole had grown roots in the watery deep 

The bank grew alive with the coils of a snake 

And all you could hear was its slither and creep 

It cast an envious stare at the boatman 

Slid into the water and swam to the boat 

He stood hypnotized by its green jealous eyes 

As it came from the water and coiled round his throat. 

As its coils tightened slowly his breath came in gasps 

As he choked so he lifted the sword in despair 

As the snake was still gloating he severed its head 

And in death the snake's coils thrashed wild in the air 

The boatman wiped the sweat from his brow 

His heart was pounding as never before 

His eyes like a lizard's tongue darted around 

Not daring to rest for a minute or more. 

An involuntary shiver went up his spine 

As he heard the sound of eerie howls 

A wolf appeared on the banks of the pool 

Saliva dripped from its loathsome jowls 

Hatred smoldered deep in his eyes 

Which glowed like coals from Hades fire 

It seemed to grow as it crouched and snarled 

And watched as the boatman began to tire. 

It was almost as though the wolf had learned 

For it did not attack as the others had done 

But bended its time until the moment was right 

And sprang as the boatman stared into the sun 

But the boatman too had learned to hold back 

And holding his sword as though a knife 

He plunged it deep into the wolf's heart 

Then fell to his knees and prayed for his life. 

As he felt a hand on his shoulder he whirled 

To find the maiden by his side 

She smiled and the world seemed to open before him 

He tried to speak but his tongue was tied 

You must plunge the sword deep into my heart 

Lest I should crumble into dust 

She offered the boatman the meaning of life 

And love, if he could but conquer lust. 

She bared her breasts before his eyes 

The boatman still was stricken dumb 

He flung the sword back into the water 

Back to the depths from which it had come 

The water around him began to boil 

The maiden began to wither away 

His boat was swamped as the creatures arose 

And evil lived for another day.