We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

King Herla

from A Twist in the Story by Anne Lister

/

about

A story from the Welsh borders and Herefordshire. A warning here - don't accept a wedding invitation from anyone riding a goat.

lyrics

King Herla met a very small man while riding through the wood
A small man, a very small man, his feet were shaped like hoofs.
Herla rode a fine white horse, the little man rode on a goat
But it was clear he too was a king from the very first words he spoke.

Herla you are king of this land and me, I’m king of another
I hear that you are soon to be wed, and I’ll come as your brother
Then in a year and a day you’ll come to my land, he said
For it is in a year and a day that I myself will be wed.

When King Herla’s wedding day came the little king came along
With food and drink as a gift and haunting music and song
I wish you joy and health, he said, I wish you joy with your bride
And at my wedding in a year and a day I hope you’ll stand at my side.

So it was in a year and a day King Herla and his men set forth
They didn’t know where the small king lived, to west, south, east or north
But just when they were heading home a white stag led them all down
Into a cave below a high cliff, to a kingdom underground.

There was the kingdom and there was the king, and a wedding of style and grace
The small king said “I have gifts for you before you leave this place.”
And he gave Herla a puppy to hold in his arms, a strange dog, some sort of hound
And said “You must ride till this dog gives the sign, don’t dismount till he jumps to the ground.”

King Herla’s men came out of the cave, they couldn’t believe what they saw
For wherever they rode and wherever they went nothing was how it had been before.
They’d been away for what felt like a year but hundreds of years had gone by
Where were their houses, their homes, their friends, King Herla’s beautiful bride?

Three men in panic dismounted then, but as their feet touched the ground
They turned into dust from their heels to their heads, died there without a sound
King Herla looked at the pup in his arms and thought what the small king had said
So he kept riding with the rest of his men, his heart now as heavy as lead.

They say he’s still riding over valley and hill, with his men still riding behind
Waiting for the puppy to jump to the ground, waiting in vain for the sign
They ride in the moonlight, they ride on the wind, King Herla, his horses and men
He keeps in his heart a green wild hope one day he might reach home again.

credits

from A Twist in the Story, released April 29, 2022
Mike O'Connor - fiddle
Matt Crum - keyboards and sax
Steafan Hannigan - percussion

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Anne Lister image

Anne Lister Wales, UK

Anne is best known for her song "Icarus", recorded and performed by a number of different singers, including Martin Simpson and Nic Jones. "Astrolabe" is her ninth solo album.

contact / help

Contact Anne Lister

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Anne Lister, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now