Emain Macha
Waylander Lyrics
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In an age now passed by
Lived a people once forgotten
Beneath an ancient sky
For protection they had warriors
Unsurpassed on Eireann's shore
Warriors of the Craobh Rua
The Ri he dwelt at Emain
And Ri of Uladh's land
And the people they had plenty
Under Are-Ri's mighty hand
Cruinneach in your aprogance
And boastfulness and pride
Evoking a curse
Upon your own kind
Curse of a woman!
Due to man's boastfulness
And the follyness of man
Man, may yet pay due
A curse I place on you
A curse I place on you
A weakness like a woman hear her time
Once in every cycle, Ulaidh's strenght
Will fail to shine, fail, fail to shine
Man may yet pay due
A curse I place on you
A curse I place on you
But in Ulaidh's hour of need
Mighty lugh did pay heed
He beget at son at Bru na Boinne
Under a stone of great tragedy
Setanta as a boy, as a boy, as a boy
Cu Chulainn, as a man, as a man, as a man
Standing alone against Connaught's might
One against all, the eternal fight
Champions they came
Champions they did fall
Standing alone
Cu chulainn, slew them all!
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha
That special seat of power
The lyrics of Waylander's song "Emain Macha" tell the story of a forgotten people who once lived o'er the seven hills of Macha in a bygone era. They had powerful warriors, known as Warriors of the Craobh Rua, who were unsurpassed on the shores of Eireann. The people were led by the Ri of Uladh's land and were under the Are-Ri's mighty hand. However, their prosperity and boastfulness provoked a curse upon them, cursed by a woman due to man's boastfulness and the follyness of man. This curse would weaken Ulaidh's strength once in every cycle, and man may yet pay their dues.
In the hour of need for Ulaidh, Mighty Lugh, the Irish deity of war, did pay heed and beget a son named Setanta, also known as Cu Chulainn. Cu Chulainn is famous for standing alone against Connaught's might, defeating them one by one, even though he was just one man. His unrelenting perseverance in the face of adversity and his willingness to stand alone eventually secured victory for Ulaidh. The song ends with the refrain "For the pride of Emain Macha, that special seat of power," celebrating the bravery of Cu Chulainn and the people of Uladh.
Overall, the lyrics celebrate the bravery and perseverance of the people of Ulaidh and their legendary hero, Cu Chulainn, while also warning against the dangers of arrogance and boastfulness. In many ways, it's a cautionary tale that reminds us that even the strongest can fall if they become too prideful.
Line by Line Meaning
O'er the seven hills of Macha
Over the seven hills of Macha
In an age now passed by
In a time long gone by
Lived a people once forgotten
There lived a people who were once forgotten
Beneath an ancient sky
Under an ancient sky
For protection they had warriors
To protect themselves they had warriors
Unsurpassed on Eireann's shore
Who were unparalleled on the shore of Eireann
Warriors of the Craobh Rua
They were warriors of the Craobh Rua
An eternal name in lore
Their name is eternal in history
The Ri he dwelt at Emain
The king resided at Emain
And Ri of Uladh's land
And the king of Uladh's land
And the people they had plenty
And the people had plenty
Under Are-Ri's mighty hand
Under the rule of a mighty king
Cruinneach in your aprogance
Gathering in your arrogance
And boastfulness and pride
Boasting and proud
Evoking a curse
Invoking a curse
Upon your own kind
Upon your own people
Curse of a woman!
The curse of a woman
Due to man's boastfulness
Due to man's prideful attitude
And the follyness of man
And the foolishness of man
Man, may yet pay due
Man, might still pay the price
A curse I place on you
I place a curse upon you
A weakness like a woman hear her time
A weakness like that of a woman during her time
Once in every cycle, Ulaidh's strenght
Once in every cycle, the strength of Ulaidh
Will fail to shine, fail, fail to shine
Will fail to shine, fail, fail to shine
But in Ulaidh's hour of need
But in Ulaidh's time of need
Mighty Lugh did pay heed
Mighty Lugh paid attention
He beget a son at Bru na Boinne
He fathered a son at Bru na Boinne
Under a stone of great tragedy
Under a stone of great tragedy
Setanta as a boy, as a boy, as a boy
Setanta as a boy
Cu Chulainn, as a man, as a man, as a man
Cu Chulainn as a man
Standing alone against Connaught's might
Standing alone against Connaught's power
One against all, the eternal fight
One against all, in an eternal fight
Champions they came
Champions came to fight him
Champions they did fall
And champions fell before him
Standing alone
But he still stood alone
Cu Chulainn, slew them all!
Cu Chulainn slew them all!
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha
For the sake of the pride of Emain Macha
That special seat of power
That special seat of power
Contributed by John P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.