The Harper and the Viking

Once a wand'ring harper caught a boat ride up a fjord,
stopped at a steading, the chieftain to see.
"A bard!" cried the chieftain. "Just what I've been waiting for.
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

Volsungasaga, Volsungasaga,
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me.
"Bard!" cried the chieftain. "You're what I've been waiting for.
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

Soon mead was flowing, folk were in the feasting hall.
Up spoke the chieftain: "Here is your fee:
These three heavy gold rings here and now I give to you.
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

Volsungasaga, Volsungasaga,
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me.
"These three heavy gold rings here and now I give to you
if you'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

The bard struck his harp and sang of heroes, doom, and death,
stopped for a drink at a quarter past three,
saying " 'Long about sunrise, we'll be nearly halfway done.
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

Volsungasaga, Volsungasaga,
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me.
" 'Long about sunrise, we'll be nearly halfway done.
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

Up jumped the chieftain, brandishing his battleaxe.
"Stop singing ose or I'll kill you!" cried he...
And the ghost of that bard may be heard beside that icy fjord:
"You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

Volsungasaga, Volsungasaga,
You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me.
And the ghost of that bard may be heard beside that icy fjord:
"You'll sing the Volsungasaga to me!"

"Banjo" Paterson: Yes, indeedy, this "traditional" old song has a known author.

chieftain, bard: Change "chieftain" to "jarl" and "bard" to "skald" throughout if you think your audience will understand them. Verse 1, line 2, then becomes: "... the jarl for to see" and verse 2, line 2, becomes: "Up spoke the jarl, saying..."

ose: Music that is "ose, ose, and mor(e-)ose". Guaranteed to bring on clinical depression if an antidote (such as a cheerful or rousing song, or a real stinker of a pun) is not applied.