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She came to me one morning, one lonely Sunday morning,
Her long hair flowing in the mid-winter wind.
I know not how she found me, for in darkness I was walking,
And destruction lay around me from a fight I could not win.
She asked me name my foe then. I said the need within some men
To fight and kill their brothers without thought of men or god.
And I begged her give me horses to trample down my enemies,
So eager was my passion to devour this waste of life.
But she would not think of battle that reduces men to animals,
So easy to begin and yet impossible to end.
For she the mother of all men had counciled me so wisely that
I feared to walk alone again and asked if she would stay.
"Oh lady lend your hand," I cried, "Oh let me rest here at your side."
"Have faith and trust in me," she said and filled my heart with life.
There is no strength in numbers. I've no such misconceptions.
But when you need me be assured I won't be far away.
Thus having spoke she turned away and though I found no words to say
I stood and watched until I saw her black cloak disappear.
My labor is no easier, but now I know I'm not alone.
I find new heart each time I think upon that windy day.
And if one day she comes to you drink deeply from her words so wise.
Take courage from her as your prize and say hello for me.
Her long hair flowing in the mid-winter wind.
I know not how she found me, for in darkness I was walking,
And destruction lay around me from a fight I could not win.
She asked me name my foe then. I said the need within some men
To fight and kill their brothers without thought of men or god.
And I begged her give me horses to trample down my enemies,
So eager was my passion to devour this waste of life.
But she would not think of battle that reduces men to animals,
So easy to begin and yet impossible to end.
For she the mother of all men had counciled me so wisely that
I feared to walk alone again and asked if she would stay.
"Oh lady lend your hand," I cried, "Oh let me rest here at your side."
"Have faith and trust in me," she said and filled my heart with life.
There is no strength in numbers. I've no such misconceptions.
But when you need me be assured I won't be far away.
Thus having spoke she turned away and though I found no words to say
I stood and watched until I saw her black cloak disappear.
My labor is no easier, but now I know I'm not alone.
I find new heart each time I think upon that windy day.
And if one day she comes to you drink deeply from her words so wise.
Take courage from her as your prize and say hello for me.
Lyrics submitted by RainbowDemon
Track duration: 03:33
"Lady In Black" as written by Ken Hensley
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Another explanation is, I was talking with my boyfriend awhile ago about how I liked this song (which I do!) and he said he never heard it, so I recited some lyrics and commented on how I always wondered who she really is. He told me he thought she was Death, and if you listen the Lady in Black could be death:
"Oh Lady lend your hand outright/Oh let me rest here at your side"/"Have faith and trust in me" she said/And filled my heart with life."/"There is no strength in numbers/Have no such misconception/But when you need me be assured I won't be far away."
That's kind of like how he feels like he cannot go on and begs her to take his life (notice how he says "REST HERE AT YOUR SIDE"), but she tells him that he has the chance to live and stop the war. Then she tells him that he needs to die sometime, though, and his death is both needed--and not far away.
Then, at the end -
"And if one day she comes to you/Drink deeply from her words so wise/Take courage from her as your prize/And say hello for me."
That might be saying, if Death ever comes to YOU, accept that it is your time and die with courage rather than fear. And it implies that the singer died, too, because when the random person dies he will see the singer in the next life--and say hello to Death as well.
It's very creepy I thought but very fascinating as well.
This can be easily be different in other cultures.
But ultimately it does not matter: it can be equally well argued that the Lady in Black is some sort of "incarnation" of the christian Mary. It doesn't change the message the least bit. That there is a way out of darkness, that violence is no solution. That we can find relief and calm satisfaction in our most ordinary life. Perhaps only there. And that if we want to change the world we have to begin with ourselves. Ultimately common sense stuff. But so important...
Anyway,this is one all-time classic,a marvellous song,with great music and abstract,poetic lyrics. Death, war, happiness,misery;all in the fighure of an unknown woman.Pure lyricism....
the cover's by gregorian and ensiferum are pretty good
about the only difference i get is that the guy isn't fighting a pointless war, but trying to fight to stop the fighting (does that make any sense?) He's fighting the "need in men to kill their brothers"
anyway, the guy is beginning to lose/or has lost hope of ever winning, until this lady comes and inspires him to keep up the struggle. though it's impossible to end, it is the struggle that makes it worthwhile.
*1) First of all, she comes unexpectedly one morning and she seems to know the author of the poem, but he doesn't seem to know her.
*2) she is able to see him, even if "in darkness I was walking". That's a subtle way to say that this is not an ordinary encountering.
*3) the atmosphere of the song is not an ordinary one: "destruction lay around me/From a fight I could not win". it's about a war, a battle or something similar.
*4) He had somehow wished her to be there, around him, because he wants to kill - to do what men usually do: "I said the need within some men/To fight and kill their brothers/Without thought of love or God". And in otrder to fight his enemies/kill he knows that she can help him. So he asks for her help: "And I begged her give me horses/To trample down my enemies/So eager was my passion/To devour this waste of life"
*5) In the next unit we find out that she is "the mother of all men". She is capable of councelling the poet so that he fears to walk alone again ... She has the power to seduce him somehow, because after this encountering, he symbolic asks "if she would stay".
*6) The next unit represents a kind of ode to the misterious lady: "Oh lady lend your hand outright/And let me rest here at your side" But she says to him somehow that his time has not come yet: "Have faith and trust/In peace she said" and tells him to have trust in peace. Then, she does something extraordinary: "filled my heart with life". It seems that the lady is capable to bring both dead or life.
"But when you need me/Be assured I won't be far away"
*7) The last unit may speak about the fact that facing death can inspire courage and wisdom to men: "And if one day she comes to you/Drink deeply from her words so wise/Take courage from her/As your prize/And say hello from me". We can see that the prize one man can get from encountering death is Courage. The poet himself is using this experience to understand that he can face death at each step: "But now I know I'm not alone", but this is strenghtening him: "I find new heart each time/I think upon that windy day". Now he knows he has nothing to loose, only his life and that can happen any moment.
A last observation: Although Death is most represented as a skeleton holding a scythe, in many cultures Death is a lady. And that can explain why in this case death is a SHE, not a HE.
Ken Hensley is legendary.