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Artist/Band: Strawbs
Lyrics for Song: The Hangman And The Papist
Lyrics for Album: Halcyon Days (US Release) [1998]



The village square stands quiet

The curfew still enforced

The streets are even clear of dogs and whores

Like some evil bird-of-prey

The scaffold spreads its wings

The people build their fires and bolt their doors



The mayor is giving dinner to the officers' wives

His eldest son is learning how to fawn

The barrick block is hushed and tense

The soldiers drawing lots

Who will be the hangman in the dawn?



The lot falls on a young man

Who has served for but a year

His home is in the village close nearby

He shivers at the thought of what

He's forced to do next day

He wonders who it is who has to die?



And the full moon casts a cold light

On the gloomy prison walls

The papist walks his cell

He cannot sleep

He hears the waiting gallows creaking

Just beyond that door

He prays for he has no more tears to weep



The day begins to break

A muffled drums begins to sound

A crowd begins to gather in the square

The presence of the hangman

In his terrifying mask

Weighs heavy on the minds of all those there

The colonel reads the sentence

Which the papist knows by heart:

He has failed to show alliegence to the king

His crime is thus with God himself

And in his name he must hang

The papist, head held high

Says not a thing



The jailer binds his hands

And puts his blindfold to his eyes

He leads him through the door before the crowd

The hangman sees his victim

And the blood drains from his face:

He sees his younger brother standing proud

The hangman tries to protest

But is ordered to proceed

His trembling hands begin to take the strain

His eyes are blind with streaming tears

And he cries for all to hear:



Forgive me God we hang him in thy name!

Forgive me God we hang him in thy name!

Forgive me God we hang him in thy name!

Oh please forgive me God we hang him in thy name!

Forgive me God we hang him in thy name!


Album Lyrics: Halcyon Days (US Release) [1998]


Strawbs
"Halcyon Days (US Release) [1998]"


1. Forever
2. Here It Comes
3. Sheep
4. The Battle
5. The Hangman And The Papist
6. The Shepherd's Song
7. The Weary Song
8. Two Weeks Last Summer