She came to me one morning
One lonely Sunday morning
Her long hair flowing in the mid-winter wind
I know not how she found me
For in darkness I was walking
And destruction lay around me
From a fight I could not win
Ah, ah, ah

She asked me name my foe then
I said the need within some men
To fight and kill their brothers without thought of men or God
And I begged her give me horses
To trample down my enemies
So eager was my passion to devour this waste of life
Ah, ah, ah

But she would not think of battle that
Reduces men to animals
So easy to begin and yet impossible to end
For she the mother of all men
Had counciled me so wisely that
I feared to walk alone again
And asked if she would stay
Ah, ah, ah

Oh, lady, lend your hand, I cried
Oh, let me rest here at your side
Have faith and trust in me, she said and filled my heart with life
There is no strength in numbers
I've no such misconceptions
But when you need me be assured I won't be far away
Ah, ah, ah

Thus having spoke she turned away
And though I found no words to say
I stood and watched until I saw her black cloak disappear
My labor is no easier
But now I know I'm not alone
I find new heart each time I think upon that windy day
And if one day she comes to you
Drink deeply from her words so wise
Take courage from her as your prize and say hello for me
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah


Lyrics submitted by RainbowDemon, edited by tilhi

Lady In Black Lyrics as written by Ken Hensley

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Lady in Black song meanings
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  • +9
    General Comment

    I think The Lady in Black is not an ordinary woman mourning for somebody who died because she is a special woman, a special presence.

    *1) First of all, she comes unexpectedly one morning and she seems to know the author of the poem, but he doesn't seem to know her.

    *2) she is able to see him, even if "in darkness I was walking". That's a subtle way to say that this is not an ordinary encountering.

    *3) the atmosphere of the song is not an ordinary one: "destruction lay around me/From a fight I could not win". it's about a war, a battle or something similar.

    *4) He had somehow wished her to be there, around him, because he wants to kill - to do what men usually do: "I said the need within some men/To fight and kill their brothers/Without thought of love or God". And in otrder to fight his enemies/kill he knows that she can help him. So he asks for her help: "And I begged her give me horses/To trample down my enemies/So eager was my passion/To devour this waste of life"

    *5) In the next unit we find out that she is "the mother of all men". She is capable of councelling the poet so that he fears to walk alone again ... She has the power to seduce him somehow, because after this encountering, he symbolic asks "if she would stay".

    *6) The next unit represents a kind of ode to the misterious lady: "Oh lady lend your hand outright/And let me rest here at your side" But she says to him somehow that his time has not come yet: "Have faith and trust/In peace she said" and tells him to have trust in peace. Then, she does something extraordinary: "filled my heart with life". It seems that the lady is capable to bring both dead or life.

    "But when you need me/Be assured I won't be far away"

    *7) The last unit may speak about the fact that facing death can inspire courage and wisdom to men: "And if one day she comes to you/Drink deeply from her words so wise/Take courage from her/As your prize/And say hello from me". We can see that the prize one man can get from encountering death is Courage. The poet himself is using this experience to understand that he can face death at each step: "But now I know I'm not alone", but this is strenghtening him: "I find new heart each time/I think upon that windy day". Now he knows he has nothing to loose, only his life and that can happen any moment.

    A last observation: Although Death is most represented as a skeleton holding a scythe, in many cultures Death is a lady. And that can explain why in this case death is a SHE, not a HE.

    ratzuscaon October 04, 2007   Link

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