Dickens' Dublin (The Palace) Lyrics

Music and Lyrics by Loreena McKennitt


I walk the streets of Dublin town
It's 1842
It's snowing on this Cristmas Eve
Think I'll beg another bob or two
I'll huddle in this doorway here
Till someone comes along
If the lamp lighter comes real soon
Maybe I'll go home with him

Maybe I can find a place I can call my home
Maybe I can find a home I can call my own

The horses on the cobbled stones pass by
Think I'll get one one fine day
And ride into the country side
And very far away.
But now as the daylight disappears
I best find a place to sleep
Think I'll slip into the bell tower
In the church just down the street

Maybe I can find a place I can call my home
Maybe I can find a home I can call my own

Maybe on the way I'll find the dog
I saw the other night
And tuck him underneath my jacket
So we'll stay warm through the night
And as we lie in the bell tower high
Ad dream of days to come
The bells o'er head will call the hour
The day we will find a home.


L.M.: Vocals, Harp, Keyboards
GEORGE KOLLER: Cello, Bass
BRIAN HUGHES: Guitar
DAVID WOODHEAD: Accordion
OLIVER SHROER: Violin

Mixed by Jeff Wolpert at Inception Sound, Toronto


Dicken's Dublin Transcript:

Joyful mystery, the birth of our lord... This night our Lady and St. Joseph was
going up to get registered and um they were going down the road and they met
this man... and he said have you any room and he said 'Not but there's an old
stable over there that I owned... If yous want to go into it... And they went
over and the Lord came down from heaven at twelve o'clock and loads of
beautiful angels was with them... and when they were walkin...

These three wise kings... um... they were all from different countries. And
they always looked up at the sky and they looked up this night and saw this
beautiful star up in the sky... and when they were going they all meeted
together... and they had to pass King Herod's, not that we much care for him...
and they went in and he said 'Where ye going with yer best stitches on ye.'

And they said 'Did you not hear the news' and say he says ' What News' he says
'This day the Saviour is born' and he said to them ' When you find him come
back and tell me cause I want to go and adore him too' and he was only codddin'
them. He wanted to kill him and when they were going, they stopped and they
said 'Surely not this old stable that our King is born in. We was expecting a
palace.

There was these shepherds and shepherds are fellas that mind the foals and cows
and sheeps and little lambs and all and um they hears this beautiful music up
in the sky and they were wondering what was so fun...  an angel disappated them
and he said I was wonderin' what so fun' and he said ye, and he said 'The
Saviour is born. If yous want to go to see him, follow that star up in the sky,
and it was a beautiful star.