Wild Hunt
The Whiskey Bards Lyrics

John was not an evil man
John was not necessarily a bad man, just imperfect like most.

Though far from perfect true
John had his flaws, but who doesn't?

And he spent his days a rovin' though
John had a wandering spirit and spent much of his time traveling or exploring.

He'd a wife and daughter too
Despite his wanderlust, John had a family waiting for him at home.

He staggered home one drunken night
One particular night, John came home drunk and stumbling.

And paused beneath an oak
He took a brief break under an oak tree.

To warm himself and rest a while
John needed to warm up and take a quick break from his travels.

He'd move on when he woke
John planned to continue on his journey after resting.

And though he'd built a fire to ward
John built a fire to keep warm and to keep away any wild animals that might attack him.

Off the evenin' chill
The fire was meant to help John deal with the cold of the evening.

The embers slowly died from sight
Over time, the fire died down and there were fewer and fewer embers visible.

The woods grew cold and still
As time went on, the forest around John grew colder and quieter.

John awoke to a huntsman's horn
John woke up to the sound of a huntsman's horn.

Joooohn!
The huntsman was calling out John's name.

And the bayin' of some hound
There was also the sound of a dog howling in the distance.

Arooooooooooo!
That howling sound was a dog, most likely one of the huntsman's hounds.

I've stumbled in just before the morn'
John realized that he had wandered into the hunting grounds of a nobleman.

To some noble's hunting ground
John had strayed into an area that was exclusively reserved for hunting by a wealthy person.

He saw the hound all pallid white
John saw a dog that appeared to be a ghostly white color.

With ears a bloody red
The dog had red ears, possibly from having been involved in a previous hunt.

And then he saw the Huntsman
John also saw the huntsman, who was the person in charge of the hunt.

And John was filled with dread
John was overcome with fear at the sight of the huntsman and his dog.

Run for your life John
John was warned to start running for his life.

The Wild Hunts comin'
The warning was about a group called the Wild Hunt that was after John.

Comin' after thee
The Wild Hunt was specifically chasing John and he needed to flee to survive.

The hounds are callin'
The dogs that were with the Wild Hunt were also calling out, signaling their intent to pursue John.

Callin' out to thee
The dogs' cries were directed at John, letting him know that they were coming for him.

Take to the hills
John was advised to head for the hills, which might provide some level of protection or shelter from the Wild Hunt.

Take to the woods
Another possible place for John to hide was the forest, which could provide at least some coverage.

Hie through the brambles and see
John could also try running through the thorn bushes in an attempt to gain distance from the hunters.

If you can't outrun them
The hope was that John could outrun the Wild Hunt altogether.

Until the morning
John needed only to keep ahead of the Wild Hunt until daylight broke.

See if you can't get free
If John could outrun the Wild Hunt until morning, he might be able to escape entirely.

Well over hill through forest too
John continued to run for his life through hills and forests, trying to stay ahead of the Wild Hunt.

Through stream and thorny briar
John had to navigate through streams and thorn bushes in his attempt to escape the Wild Hunt.

The Huntsman and his hounds kept chasing
All the while, the huntsman and his hounds continued to pursue John relentlessly.

Never would they tire
The hunters showed no sign of slowing down, and seemed to have almost limitless energy.

And John he knew if he could last
John was aware that if he could just hold out until daylight, he might be safe.

Until the mornin' light
Once sunlight appeared, the Wild Hunt would disappear and John could be free.

Why he would have outrun them
If John could last until dawn, he would have managed to outrun the Wild Hunt.

And made it through the night
Surviving until sunrise would mean that John had made it through the night, which was the goal.

But it was yet some hours until
Unfortunately, there were still many hours until sunrise.

He'd see the mornin' sun
John's hope was to see the sunlight and make it through the night.

And then he heard the hounds again
Despite his best efforts, John could hear the hounds of the Wild Hunt baying in the distance again.

This chase had just begun
John realized that he still had a long way to go and that the hunt was far from over.

John made it back unto his home
John eventually made it back home.

And saw an awful sight
Unfortunately, what he found when he got there was not exactly what he was hoping for.

For it was all abandoned
John's home was completely deserted.

O'ergrown in just one night
Furthermore, the house looked like it had been left alone and unkept for many years, despite the fact that only one night had passed since John had last seen it.

Full twenty years have come and gone
John mused that twenty years had passed since the incident with the Wild Hunt.

Since all me drunken days.
John had spent many years being a drunkard and a wanderer, but it seems that the experience with the Wild Hunt may have changed him.

If I knew then what I know now
John wished that he had known beforehand how dangerous his actions could be.

I'd 've changed my rovin' ways
Given the chance to do things differently, John would have chosen a different path for himself.

The Huntsman gave a soulless laugh
The huntsman reacted to John's cries with a cold, cruel laugh.

Mwa-ha-ha-haaa
The laugh was a stereotypical 'evil' one, signifying John's enemy's enjoyment of the hunt.

John cried, "By all good men
John refused to give up, shouting out: 'By all that is Good, I'll never let you have me!'.

I'll never let ya have me!"
John rejected the idea of being caught and held by the Wild Hunt and refused to give up.

The Wild Hunt's comin'!
The Wild Hunt was still chasing after John, and nothing would stop them from trying to catch him.

And if you're there some moonlit night
The story is told from the perspective of someone narrating the tale to others.

When the woods grow cold and still
The artist suggests that this story might be something that someone tells around a campfire or a hearth on a spooky night.

Why you'll see John the rover
The suggestion is that the story will make John famous as a kind of ghost who roams the forest and hills in search of a safe place to hide.

They say
The singer is acknowledging that this story has become a bit of a legend or myth around the area where it takes place.

He runs there
As part of the myth, people say that John's ghost is still running through the forest.

Still
Even though the story happened a long time ago, people still talk about it as if it were real.