Round Table
Roger McGuinn Lyrics

Seventeen feet across
The round table is seventeen feet across and made of the hardest oak to be found. It's cut to the shape of the Sun and the Moon and shines the color of ale. The knights of the Living Cross gathered all around it to drink a toast to the search for the Holy Grail.

And the knights of the Living Cross
Knights belonging to the Living Cross order are gathered around the round table.

Gathered all around
All the knights are sitting around the round table.

Raise their goblets and drink a toast
The knights raise their goblets and drink a toast to the search for the Holy Grail.

To the search for the Holy Grail
The knights drink a toast to the search for the Holy Grail, symbolizing their quest for knowledge and wisdom.

There was one well known for charity
Among the knights gathered at the round table, there was one who was well-known for his charity.

And whose voice was gruff
This knight had a deep and rough voice.

And one who wielded a deadly sword
There was a knight who was known for his deadly sword fighting skills.

With the finest lace on his cuff
This knight had attention paid to detail as evidenced by the fine lace on his cuff.

There was talk about a fearful ghost
The knights discussed a fearful ghost that was rumored to exist.

The bastard son if a King
This ghost was believed to be the illegitimate son of a King.

Who died at the knee of his lordly host
The ghost died at the knee of his host who was a lord.

You could hear his armor ring
The sound of the ghost's armor clanging could be heard.

Pure in heart and mind,
The Mighty King spoke to his knights, telling them that they should be pure in heart and mind.

The key to all you seek
The Mighty King believed that being pure in heart and mind was the key to achieving the things that the knights seek.

As he looked deep into their eyes
The Mighty King made eye contact with his knights as he spoke to them.

The best of you have wined and dined
The Mighty King tells his knights that they have enjoyed the best in life.

You're treacherous when you speak
The Mighty King tells his knights that they are treacherous when they speak.

You look for a way to seal your faith
The Mighty King accuses his knights of looking for ways to justify themselves.

But you find a compromise
Despite their efforts to justify themselves, the knights end up compromising their beliefs.

You have raised your voice in vanity
The Mighty King accuses his knights of being vain and arrogant by raising their voices.

You have turned your back on the poor
The Mighty King accuses his knights of ignoring the poor.

You have closed your heart to the written word
The Mighty King accuses his knights of being closed-minded and not open to learning from written sources..

You defend the evil-doer
The Mighty King accuses his knights of defending people who do evil deeds.

Now the time is come to clean your minds
The Mighty King suggests that it is time for his knights to cleanse their minds.

If the good is to prevail
The Mighty King suggests that in order for good to overcome evil, it is necessary for people to clean their minds of bad thoughts.

I offer this emerald to the one who finds
The Mighty King promises to award an emerald to the knight who finds the Saviour's Holy Grail.

Our Saviour's Holy Grail
The Saviour's Holy Grail is believed to be the cup that Jesus drank out of at the Last Supper. It is a symbol of purity and the quest for truth and enlightenment.

Banners in the sky, armor gleaming in the sun
The knights marched onward with their banners held high and their shiny armor reflecting the sunlight.

The sounds of the horses, trumpets and drums
The sound of horses' hooves, trumpets, and drums were heard as the knights marched.

As they marched for the countryside
The knights continued to march through the countryside in search of the Holy Grail.

And the villagers they rode be were silent everyone
The villagers looked on in silence as the knights rode through their town.

Frightened mothers closed their shades
Mothers in the village closed their shades in fear of the knights who were riding through their town.

And they made their daughters hide
Mothers in the village made their daughters hide from the knights who were riding through their town.

And then they came upon a community
The knights came across a community as they searched for the Holy Grail.

On a quiet Summer's day
This community was quiet and peaceful on a summer's day.

But these travelers to Jerusalem
The knights were on a journey to Jerusalem.

Saw nothing in their way
The knights believed that there were no obstacles in their path.

And before the night fell on that town
Before nightfall, the knights had taken over the town they had encountered.

They had crucified the Priest
The knights had crucified the priest in this town.

They robbed and pillaged and burned it down
The knights had taken what they wanted, burned buildings down, and caused destruction in the town.

And kept headin' toward the East
The knights continued to march towards the east.

Came to Israel stood shimmering in the sand
The knights arrived in Israel and it was hot with the sun shining on the sand.

Thirsty men could close their eyes
Men who were thirsty could close their eyes and imagine water flowing like milk and honey.

And see the milk and honey flow
This location was believed to be full of resources and the knights could see them in their imagination.

The blood of the Infidel
The knights had recently spilled the blood of non-believers.

Still fresh upon their hands
The blood of the non-believers was still fresh on the hands of the knights.

They knocked the ancient doorway down
The knights destroyed the ancient doorway leading to the temple.

Like the walls of a Jericho
This act of destruction was similar to the story of the wall of Jericho being destroyed by Joshua and his army in the Old Testament.

And they thanked their Christianity
The knights believed that their faith in Christianity allowed them to conquer non-believers.

For the Temple they had seized
The knights successfully took over the temple in Jerusalem.

And though no one found the Holy Grail
Despite their efforts, the knights were not successful in finding the Holy Grail.

The Mighty King was pleased
The Mighty King was still pleased with the knights' efforts and accomplishments.

For he had changed the face of history
The Mighty King was proud of how his knights had changed the course of history with their actions.

And a legend had begun
This moment marked the beginning of a legend as it entered the annals of history.

And little children were taught to see how
In the future, the story of the knights and their journey would be passed down to little children.

The Good Lord's work is done
The knights believed they were doing the work of the Good Lord even though their actions were destructive and violent.