1. |
The Four Branches
04:10
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Her white horse walking slowly
Then tied up, got a beating
Charged with devouring the child
He came back there was a wailing
Branwen’s half-brother
Concealed in sacks of flour
Their magic cauldron’s broken now
Throw the boy into the fire
Took the severed head to London
An excellent saddle maker
Brought the seed back, mice ate the wheat
It turned out the mouse was pregnant
Made a maiden out of blossoms
Blodeuwedd took a lover
Who could not be killed within a house
Changed his form into an eagle
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2. |
Yellow Plague
01:51
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Yellow Plague
A strange creature
Yellow hair, teeth and eyes
Gwynnedd spied
Through the keyhole
Of the church door and there died
Yellow Plague
A column of vapour
Spreading all along the ground
Made men faint
Women barren
No cure was ever found
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3. |
Winifred and Caradog
04:07
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Taken her vows she resisted and fled to the church
Caradog chased her and still repulsed cut off her head
Caradog wiped his sword on the grass
The head rolled down the hill to the church
Where the congregation were surprised
Went outside to find Caradog and a well
Gushing forth where the head fell
Beuno picked up the head cursed the young man
Caradog died on the spot
Joined to the head with a circle thin as thread round her neck
Winifred rose up as if from sleeping
Caradog’s descendants cursed to bark like dogs
Winifred lived as a nun
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4. |
Merlin and Vortigern
01:49
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Upset at being told his blood was needed for a sacrifice
Merlin said to Vortigern, “Dig beneath the foundation”
Find a pool and drain the pool, you’ll find two sleeping dragons
One the red and one the white waking up begin to fight
With men of silver and a knife made for Druid sacrifice
Merlin in his dome of glass, Arthur buried in the pass
A heap of stones today is called The Path of the Arrows
Young men are still sleeping there, ring the bell and they appear
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5. |
The Wild Red Men
02:19
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Detailing the events of 1554, when the Wild Red Men of Mawddwy were captured by Baron Owen
NOTE: Their is a mistake in the lyrics, it should be Merionethshire not Pembrokeshire
The best known legend
Of the Pembrokeshire valleys
The great robber clan
Of the Wild Red Men
On Christmas Eve
While they were at a feast
The baron attacked
Capturing eighty of the gang
On Christmas Day
He had them all hanged
A woman came forward
Bearing her breast
Said these breasts have suckled
Those that you are murdering
And those that will wash
Their hands in you blood
A year later
A shower of arrows
Ambushed the baron
Killing all of his men
The baron was dragged down
From his horse
And cut into pieces
By the Wild Red Men
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6. |
Bowl of Piss
04:20
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Using a ring of mountain ash, keeping a bible
Nailing a horseshoe, drawing blood
The baby in his cradle has an old look about him
Shovel hot in the fire brought up to the baby’s face
But they draw a man in
Make him invisible
A long stick of mountain
And turn in the dancing
He came across a stag that was being hunted
By strange dogs with red eyes and red ears
The wicked king in his palace refuses to listen
Long stone walls beneath the sea
A hoop of fire through the night, a small man and woman
Ride the hoop through the sky, meteor flying and falling down
She’ll stay with him til he strikes three times for no reason
It was many years before the third blow was struck
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7. |
Helig Went Riding
02:59
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Helig went riding
A voice from the sky said, “Vengence is coming”
Helig said, “When?”
The voice replied, “It’ll come for your children’s children’s children’s grandchildren”
And Helig said at least it wouldn’t come for him
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8. |
The Teachings of Rhys
01:50
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These are the teaching of Rhys
The Patriarch of the family
We honour our parents
We love our wives and not the wives of our neighbours
These are the teachings of Rhys
The patriarch of the family
We do well by our children
We are never unfaithful
For a traitor would be like a man with the head of a devil
Holding a big knife in his hand
And all around him the family were dead
These are the teachings of Rhys
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