Knight's Demise

And in that day there was a knight of great stature But he was sorely lacking heart He could rescue the loveliest damsel And leave her at the dragon’s door He would speak of his feats in court And give not the prince a thought And the ladies who fell at his feet Meant no more than the lords whom he fought He loved only money And money loved he For his works brought him in A great salary Gold and silver hung ‘round his home And he wore lovely fibres grand But there was not a person in all of the land Which he could care to love A minstrel came dancing By his tavern door Laughing so gaily that the knight swore That there must have been something wrong The knight did inquire to the jolly squire What all the noise was afore And the little minstrel simply said It was for his lady’s joy Only that and nothing more There was no payment involved And the knight was quizzical How the poor minstrel held so much life When he had not a rich bedecked wife A friar then came waltzing Down the fair lane Whistling a tune learned from a pretty dame Smiling jovially all the way Confusing the knight by the day Life went on passing All three men dying And learning the paths that they did choose The friar rested peacefully In God’s fair kingdom All the eternal day While the minstrel accompanied angels In their heavenly chorus Every day and the High Feast Days The knight sat so dreary In Hell so aweary For wasting his life away For wasting his life away *