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.
Massacre of the Saxons
Christopher Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only in death to take flight to the skies
Warmongers vie to take my throne
No respect is ever shown
To Pope, or Prince, nor man, nor beast
And steal our cattle for to feast
No Earthly princeling mind shall take
In borderland raids
They came in their hordes
Ransacking villages
Taking the spoils
With nothing to lose
and possessions few
Bold
Sturdy
Fearless and cruel!
Defiant of Baptism on pain of death
Tough measures call for me to be ruthless
To set an example to the rebels
Draconian for their worship of devils
How many times did I venture forth
To the extreme wilderness of the north?
To subdue those whose hatred was great
Against churches and priests of our Christian state
Four thousand men all dead in one day
They would not renounce their heathen ways
Thirty years of campaigning consumed
To subject those Pagans to Christianhood
The Bloody Verdict of Verden
Rivers flowing red
With the blood of four thousand men
That I did behead
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed it at Verden
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of four thousand Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon man!
Shall my realm be taken as I toil?
To force others out of Frankish soil
And I return to learn that all is lost
Yet my companions I trust, the sword and the Cross
Those good industrious Frankish folk
Who toil out lands with oxen and yoke
Whilst Lombard, Vulgar and Moorish men
Dare to even glance at them
Converting entire tribes by the sword
In the name of Jesus Christo, our Lord
On that day in Verden
No mercy given
Victory to the chosen people
Weary grow I of this task which fell
On the shoulders of a man who yearns to spend
But one hour with wife and child
To gaze on faces innocent and mild
Four thousand men all dead in one day
They would not renounce their heathen ways
Thirty years of campaigning consumed
To subject those pagans to Christianhood
To build a better world than even has been seen
An empire made great by deeds of great kings
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed it at Verden
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of four thousand Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon men
I shed the Blood of the Saxon man!
The lyrics of Christopher Lee's song "Massacre of the Saxons" paint a picture of a ruler's struggle to maintain his throne amidst warmongers. The lyrics exhibit the ruler's frustration as he highlights the lack of respect shown towards him and his people. The ruler is also portrayed as struggling to maintain the country's Christian state, with violence often being the only recourse. The song reveals a deeper sense of despair where the ruler, who is consumed by his responsibilities, yearns for just one moment with his family.
The ruler's hope to make a better world is evident with his ambition to build a great empire. However, the means he adopts to achieve this are not without cost, as illustrated by the death of numerous men - the massacre of the Saxons. The ruler inflicts brutality on his opponents, which he justifies as necessary for maintaining the country's Christian belt. He cites his duty of converting even tribes by the sword in the name of Jesus Christo, our Lord.
In sum, the song's lyrics are a portrayal of a ruler's dilemma, who is torn between different factions of his kingdom. The ruler is also conflicted between resorting to violence to maintain order and his desire to build a better empire. Despite the emperor's triumph over paganism, the Massacre of the Saxons was a significant setback for Christianity in the region, leading to years of conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
Does a man have to fight all his life?
Must one engage in constant warfare throughout their existence?
Only in death to take flight to the skies
Only upon passing away does one ascend to the heavens.
Warmongers vie to take my throne
Those desiring power constantly seek to overthrow me.
No respect is ever shown
I am not given the respect I deserve.
To Pope, or Prince, nor man, nor beast
No one, not even religious or royal figures or animals, shows me respect.
And steal our cattle for to feast
They steal and eat our livestock.
No Earthly princeling mind shall take
No small-minded ruler shall take control.
For scandalous idolatry so fake
Their false worship is unacceptable.
In borderland raids
They launch raids on our borders.
They came in their hordes
They attacked in large groups.
Ransacking villages
They pillaged and destroyed our villages.
Taking the spoils
They stole our possessions.
With nothing to lose
They had nothing to lose by attacking us.
and possessions few
They were lacking in possessions.
Bold
They were daring and fearless.
Sturdy
They were strong and resilient.
Fearless and cruel!
They were brave, yet harsh and merciless.
Defiant of Baptism on pain of death
They refused to convert to Christianity, under threat of death.
Tough measures call for me to be ruthless
The situation requires me to be brutal and merciless.
To set an example to the rebels
I must make an example of those who rebel against me.
Draconian for their worship of devils
The punishment is harsh for those who worship demons.
How many times did I venture forth
How many times did I journey to the North?
To the extreme wilderness of the north?
To the furthest reaches of the North?
To subdue those whose hatred was great
To conquer those who harbored immense hostility.
Against churches and priests of our Christian state
Those who opposed our Christian nation and its religious leaders.
Four thousand men all dead in one day
Four thousand men died in a single day.
They would not renounce their heathen ways
They refused to abandon their pagan beliefs.
Thirty years of campaigning consumed
Thirty years spent on this campaign.
To subject those Pagans to Christianhood
To convert those pagans to Christianity.
The Bloody Verdict of Verden
The deadly judgment issued in Verden.
Rivers flowing red
Blood flowing like rivers.
With the blood of four thousand men
With the blood of four thousand men.
That I did behead
Whom I personally executed.
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I spilled the blood of Saxon men.
Shall my realm be taken as I toil?
Will my kingdom be taken as I work tirelessly?
To force others out of Frankish soil
To remove others from the land of the Franks.
And I return to learn that all is lost
Returning home to find everything gone.
Yet my companions I trust, the sword and the Cross
Despite it all, I have faith in my companions, the sword and the cross.
Those good industrious Frankish folk
The hardworking, noble people of the Frankish Empire.
Who toil out lands with oxen and yoke
They work hard, tilling the soil with oxen and plows.
Whilst Lombard, Vulgar and Moorish men
Meanwhile, men from other lands threaten our way of life.
Dare to even glance at them
They even dare to cast a look their way.
Converting entire tribes by the sword
Converting entire tribes by force.
In the name of Jesus Christo, our Lord
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
On that day in Verden
On that fateful day in Verden.
No mercy given
No mercy was shown.
Victory to the chosen people
The chosen people emerged victorious.
Weary grow I of this task which fell
I am becoming tired of this never-ending task.
On the shoulders of a man who yearns to spend
A man who longs to spend time elsewhere.
But one hour with wife and child
Just one hour with his family.
To gaze on faces innocent and mild
To look upon the faces of his loved ones, pure and gentle.
To build a better world than even has been seen
To create a newer, better world than we've ever known.
An empire made great by deeds of great kings
An empire built on the achievements of its great rulers.
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I spilled the blood of Saxon men.
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I spilled the blood of Saxon men.
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I spilled the blood of Saxon men.
I shed it at Verden
I spilled it in Verden.
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I spilled the blood of Saxon men.
I shed the Blood of four thousand Saxon men
I spilled the blood of four thousand Saxon men.
(I shed Blood of Saxon Men)
I spilled the blood of Saxon men.
I shed the Blood of the Saxon man!
I spilled the blood of the Saxon people!
Contributed by Liliana D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.