The Princess And The Pauper How can one redeem himself from a past so long ago Where a sunrise played through plans well laid; the night to overthrow The gentleman she wanted, her virtue lie in wait His boyish games, her heart to tame and more to captivate She heard the rolling thunder of his steed outside the walls They slipped away with no delay in the shadows of the halls And headed east for freedom, from the tyranny of a king A king known as her father, not of blood, but of a ring They joined with friends in merriment, dancing to the night A young girls heart in rapture, his trophy was in sight Tonight he'd be a champion, comrades would give him praise So with no pause for the pain he'd cause he bed her in the haze Then left her sick and wanting of his touch against her skin As he feared Scandinavian law would hunt him, bring him in He joined in the militia, fighting foes in foreign fields Returning home with wisdom as his armor and his shield And met her once again to rekindle that past spark Of love that he'd once felt, yet had left there in the dark But, alas, twas not to be, for she belonged to someone else Not in love, but in fear of the madness he has dealt Nearly twenty years gone by since "The Tavern Of The Sharks" Where once again, their paths were twain, each left there in the dark Now a message in a bottle, called him by a long lost name "Can we meet out in the woodlands?", "Can you relieve me of my shame?" "Yes!" and "Yes to you!", now they'll meet upon the morrow To comfort each, the many years with others and with sorrow And he'll try to redeem himself from a past so long ago Where a sunrise played through plans well laid; the night to overthrow. Brett Martin Smith © 2000