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THE SIX SWANS song lyrics by Joel Sattler

based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm

three brothers and their sister fair
lived by the river wide
their father was widower King
till he took a new bride

but she was full of jealousy
black magic she did spawn
and placed a curse upon the boys
and turned them into swans

the sister she was told the spell
could only lose its power
if she would weave each one a shirt
made of the starwort flower

and also she must take a vow
of silence for six years
and if she could accomplish this
her brothers would reappear

one day the King of Mountains came
and begged the River King
to let him wed the silent girl
whose beauty made his heart sing

he took her to the Land of Skye
among the hills so wild
and there she bore him one two three
a child a child a child

the wicked queen accused her
of crimes too ill to seek
but this poor girl could not defend
because she could not speak

the day came when the fire was set
to burn her at the stake
the flowered shirts were almost done
but yet she did not break

and as they tied her to the pyre
six swans flew overhead
she threw the shirts into the air
before she would be dead

then finally she told the tale
of what the witch had said
and so they bound the sorceress
and burned her up instead

six brothers and their sister fair
who knows where they have gone
the people dream of princesses
and memories of swans

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