In 1977 he played the roles of Narrator and King of Elfland on the concept album The King of Elfland's Daughter. The album also featured Mary Hopkin, PP Arnold, Frankie Miller and Alexis Korner.
He also started a career as singer as with his first album in 1998 entitled, Devils, Rogues & Other Villians and in the post-millennial era he appeared as a narrator for Italian symphonic fantasy metal band Rhapsody, playing the Wizard King in two albums, Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret and Triumph or Agony. In addition to narrating several tracks on the two albums, he also sang & recorded a duet album with lead vocalist Fabio Lione called "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream".
He released his second solo album in 2007 at the age of 84 under the name of "Revelation" (including a heavy metal song in it).
In March 2010, he released the symphonic metal album "Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross". It was later followed up by "Charlemagne: The Omens of Death" in May 2013.
Christopher Lee died on June 7, 2015 after being hospitalized for respiratory problems and heart failure.
Charles the Great
Christopher Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The hour that I must retire is drawing ever near
From the exigencies of this life
My deeds laid out before your eyes
And my conscience must be clear.
Charles my dear son the time has now come
The House of Arnulf had produced the heir and son
In the eternal kingdom where we at last are one.
Finally you can look back upon your many great deeds
Like your fathers before you have been planted the seeds
The consummation of your ancestors' ambitions
The founding of a great empire of Christian nations.
Father, this oath I swear that I shall fight to keep the Lord
In all of Francia and beyond
To heathen fields and Saxon hordes
Who would tread upon a sacred place of ours?
Shall learn to fear the name of Charlemagne
One that will be without peer even long after I have gone
Charlemagne, oh Charlemagne
A shaft of light in a Dark Age
For now he is the King of the Franks
Standing tall above men of all ranks
Homage and tribute to him will pay
And all his enemies shall be cast away
'Cause now he has inherited the throne
The young prince who soon came into his own.
Carloman, my dear brother, we grew apart
But my love for you did not depart.
You let the plotters turn your head against me
And then... oh father! Now he is dead...
How his widow and children weep by his bed
Now I am ruler of all your empire
And I am... alone in the adventure
But you came to me, father,
I feel not on my own
And guided me on my sword
As sure as on my throne.
And now you are being besieged by the Saracen,
But holding firm are the Christian Kings of Spain
The Frankish might pushed them back south
'Cross the mountains to form the Spanish March.
And what of the other pagan tribes
Who disrespected His Holy See?
They knelt before him and gave back that
Which they had taken from The Holy City.
Christopher Lee's song "Charles the Great" is a story about the king Charlemagne, narrated from his point of view on his death bed. In the first verse, Charlemagne invites his biographer, Einhard, to gather near his bedside to hear his deeds that are laid out before him. Charlemagne speaks about how his conscience must be clear, indicating that he feels responsible for the path that his reign has taken. In the second verse, Charlemagne speaks to his son and heir, Charles, who has just been crowned king. Charlemagne tells Charles that he now has the responsibility to lead the nation in the direction of eternal kingdom where they all are waiting. Charlemagne's message to Charles is that, he has to continue his great deeds and lead the nation through this path.
In the third verse, Charlemagne looks back on his many great deeds and the founding of a great empire of Christian nations, which was the consummation of his ancestors' ambitions. In the fourth verse, Charlemagne talks about his oath that he has sworn to fight to keep the Lord in all of Francia and beyond. He talks about how his enemies shall be cast away, and they shall all learn to fear the name of Charlemagne, which will be without peer even long after he is gone. In the fifth verse, Charlemagne talks to his brother Carloman, who had let the plotters turn his head against Charlemagne. However, Charlemagne did not forget his love for Carloman, even after he died.
Line by Line Meaning
Einhard gather near... come hither to my bedside
Gather around me, my trusted companion Einhard, as I approach the end of my life
The hour that I must retire is drawing ever near
My time on Earth is coming to a close
From the exigencies of this life
From the struggles and pressures of this world
My deeds laid out before your eyes
I want my accomplishments to be remembered
And my conscience must be clear.
Before I go, I need to make sure that I have done what is right
Charles my dear son the time has now come
My son Charles, the moment has arrived
The House of Arnulf had produced the heir and son
Our family has a new leader
To lead the faithless where we are all waiting for you now
To guide those without faith to where we are all destined to go
In the eternal kingdom where we at last are one.
In the afterlife, where we will all be together
Finally you can look back upon your many great deeds
You can reflect on your many achievements
Like your fathers before you have been planted the seeds
Your success was built on the efforts of those who came before you
The consummation of your ancestors' ambitions
You have fulfilled the dreams of your forefathers
The founding of a great empire of Christian nations.
Your reign has established a strong Christian empire
Father, this oath I swear that I shall fight to keep the Lord
Father, I promise to defend the faith
In all of Francia and beyond
Not just in our homeland, but wherever Christianity is threatened
To heathen fields and Saxon hordes
To the lands of non-believers and to our enemies, the Saxons
Who would tread upon a sacred place of ours?
Those who would desecrate our holy sites
Shall learn to fear the name of Charlemagne
They will come to respect your power and authority
One that will be without peer even long after I have gone
Your legacy will endure for generations to come
Charlemagne, oh Charlemagne
Charlemagne, the great ruler
A shaft of light in a Dark Age
In a time of darkness, you were a beacon of hope
For now he is the King of the Franks
You have ascended to the throne of our people
Standing tall above men of all ranks
You tower over all others, regardless of their status
Homage and tribute to him will pay
People will honor and respect you
And all his enemies shall be cast away
You will vanquish your foes
'Cause now he has inherited the throne
Because you have become king
The young prince who soon came into his own.
You are a confident and capable leader
Carloman, my dear brother, we grew apart
My brother Carloman and I became estranged
But my love for you did not depart.
But I still loved him
You let the plotters turn your head against me
You allowed others to turn you against me
And then... oh father! Now he is dead...
And now, father, he has passed away
How his widow and children weep by his bed
His family is grieving by his bedside
Now I am ruler of all your empire
I have taken control of our kingdom
And I am... alone in the adventure
I feel isolated in my new role
But you came to me, father,
But you have been there for me, father,
I feel not on my own
I don't feel completely alone
And guided me on my sword
You have helped me become a great warrior
As sure as on my throne.
Just as you helped me become king
And now you are being besieged by the Saracen,
Our kingdom is being attacked by the Saracens
But holding firm are the Christian Kings of Spain
The Christian rulers of Spain are standing strong
The Frankish might pushed them back south
And our armies have been successful in pushing them back
'Cross the mountains to form the Spanish March.
Into the mountains, forming the Spanish March
And what of the other pagan tribes
And what about the other non-Christian groups
Who disrespected His Holy See?
Who have shown disrespect to the Church?
They knelt before him and gave back that
They submitted to your authority and returned what they had taken
Which they had taken from The Holy City.
They had taken something from Jerusalem, the holiest city in Christianity.
Contributed by Evan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.