Saint Brendan Had a Boat

With their riddles off the tongue did come the Sons of Gael
The ancient Druid kings feared by many men
With a crack of light that fell upon the warriors
To win it all with a poet’s poison pen
They fought the devil’s mother to the death for forty days
When they came down from the mountains it was done
Twenty oars on either side when they put out with the tide
Their adventure only knew tomorrow’s sun

Saint Brendan had a boat they proved it could be done
Sailed off to find America before it had begun
They left it all a secret for the brothers and the sons
Till another thousand years had come and gone

One mighty mast of beggar’s oak their vessel proud
And a rumor of those islands to the west
One winter’s whisky ration all that steerage would allow
So they left behind for Kerry all the rest
With only stars to navigate their big black sea
Till by accident one lookout heard the sound
By this time their only compass was a rosary
And after twenty weeks the coastline stared them down

On the year of their return by the lips of every man
Their solemn oath of secrecy was sealed
Reunited with their clan not a breath about the land
That this journey on the ocean did reveal
Not a word was written down not a map was ever drawn
For the captains of ten centuries to borrow
They were doomed to sailing on
Turned away from every dawn
Forever only wishing for tomorrow