Lyrics, in alphabetical order, for...

Eric and the Onion
I'm a Viking
Light My Fire
Loki Loves Me
Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Vikings
Norse Woman's Lament
Odin Loves the Little Vikings
On the Very Last Day (Ragnarock Song)
Onward, Sven's Ormsviking
Raw Green Mead
Stand Up, Stand Up for Odin
The Authentic Viking


Eric and the Onion
Words:  Alan E. Fountain
Tune:  "Cats in the Cradle"

Went down to the docks just the other day,
went out in the world in our usual way.
For there were boats to catch, and men to slay,
we got ready and got on our way...

CHORUS:

There was Eric with the onion
and a jar of old fish,
little Ragnar and big Fenris.
"When we goin' home Sven?"
"I don't know when...
But we will have a good time then -- YAH!
You know we'll have a good time then."

We pushed off each man to an oar,
went over to Scotland 'cause we felt a little bored.
Well the people there they didn't want to play
so we got out and got back on our way.

CHORUS

Eric had an Idea to ease the day,
took us all to Iceland, said "It's on our way!"
What we found made us want to stay,
told us 'bout Greenland so we went that way.

CHORUS

Arrived at Greenland on the first of May
it was really cold and we didn't want to stay.
Eric said that we could leave that day,
so we got out and gotback on our way.

CHORUS

We sailed for many days with nothing to see,
we were getting hungry and tired of the sea.
Gunar left us on the 31st of May,
we threw him overboard and kept on our way.

CHORUS

We found a new land far across the sea,
the natives there fought most savagely!
When we found it wasn't the Asgard way,
we headed back home, there to stay!

CHORUS:

There was Eric with the onion
and a jar of old fish,
little Ragnar and big Fenris.
"When we goin' home Sven?"
"I don't know when...
But we will have a good time then -- YAH!
You know we'll have a good time then."

REPEAT CHORUS


I'm a Viking
Words: Elfride the Landless
Tune: "Oh, Susannah!"

Oh, I come from Scandinavia
With my helm upon my head,
And I won't be going home again
'Til all of you are dead.

Chorus: I'm a Viking,
For that's the thing to be;
There's no greater joy than fighting
For a berserker like me.

Oh, we had a raid the other night
When everything was still.
We waited until moonrise and
Came shrieking down the hill.
The blood was pouring down the streets,
The women ran and screamed;
It was better fun than anyone
Could possibly have dreamed. CHORUS

The loot we loaded on the ships
Was too great to be told.
The slaves we towed behind on rafts;
For ballast we had gold.
We took home herds of cows and pigs,
We took home chests of jewels;
Why should we work when we can loot
From futile, puny fools? CHORUS

Oh, we're hairy-chested fighters
And we have no time for games.
What we don't take back home with us
We'll leave behind in flames.
And if you see a Viking ship
There's nothing you can do
Just kiss your wife and cross yourself
And bid the world adieu. CHORUS


Light My Fire
by by Astrid Sigurdsdottir
Tune:  song by The Doors of the same name. This one is very bad (so says the author).

My milking cows, in terror, moo
My wife has gone to fetch the friar
(There's) nothing I can really do
My farm looks like a funeral pyre.

CHORUS:
Vikings set my town on fire
Vikings set my town on fire
Tried to light my cows on fire

My days of planting crops are through
My future's looking very dire
My livelihood I now will lose:
They salted all my fields entire

CHORUS

Now sing the verses and choruses in reverse. Very simple.


Loki Loves Me
by Hjordis Olvirsdottir
Tune:  "Jesus Loves Me"

Loki loves me, this I know
For the eddas tell me so
people say he's such a prick,
but he's just always up to tricks

Yes, Loki loves me!
Yes, Loki loves me!
Yes, Loki loves me!
The eddas tell me so...

(more verses to be added, for sure)


Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Vikings
By: Morric Haast
Tune: "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys"

C                                                F
Vikings are easy to find, but they're hard to survive;
   G                                                  C
   They'd rather tear out your throat that leave you alive.
C
Long, greasy pigtails, and dirty old tunics,
       F
   and some town is burning today;
G
After they've robbed you and raped your poor wife,
                              c
   They'll prob'ly just sail away.


  * Second set of chords after the second verse *
CHORUS:

     C(D)                                       F(G)
     Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Vikings,
              G(A)
        Don't let 'em sail longships and crack people's heads,
                                             C(D)
           Let 'em be farmers or shepherds instead.
     C(D)                                      F(G)
     Mamas, don't let you babies grow up to be Vikings,
                      G(A)
        Cause they'll rape and they'll pillage, from village to village,
                                      C(D)
           Even when they're still at home.


*** NEW KEY ***


Vikings like smokey old mead halls, and burned Christian bodies;

   Fiords in the morning, and trollops who put up a fight;

Them that don't know 'em, won't live long, and them that do

   Sometimes don't know who they're after;

They're mean and they're vicious, though no one knows why,

   And they're sneaky but not too damn bright.


(Author'e note: If you think the second verse is awkward,
listen to the original!)

CHORUS in the new key, ad nauseum


Odin Loves the Little Vikings
by anonymous
Tune: "Jesus Loves the Little Children"

Odin loves the little Vikings
All the Vikings of the world
Whether drunk on ale or mead
In a boat or on a steed
Odin loves the little Vikings of the world.

Odin loves the little Vikings
All the Vikings of the world
If you're drunk and thrown in jail
Odin - and your axe! - are bail
Odin loves the little Vikings of the world.

Odin loves the little Vikings
All the Vikings of the world
Offer up an ox or two
And he'll be in debt to you.
Odin loves the little Vikings of the world.


On the Very Last Day
(The Ragnarok song)

by Reginleif the Unruly
Tune: "Very Last Day" by Peter, Paul & Mary.  Hear it.

Oh the wolves are gonna bay
On the very last day
When you hear that horn
Call you to the fray
Oh the wolves will bay at the heavens on the very last day

Oh you can sing about the wisdom of Odin
And you can talk about the prowess of Thor
But when the Gjallar-horn blows they will all fall
They each will rise no more
Thor fighting hammer in hand
Seeking 'gainst the worm to stand
Get ready warriors for that day.

Oh the wolves are gonna bay
On the very last day
When you hear that horn
Call you to the fray
Oh the wolves will bay at the heavens on the very last day

Oh, one day soon all men will arm,
As to the battle the giants swarm
And Frey bemoans his bartered blade
Forever lost to the Aseir's aid
Odin fares the Wolf to meet
To his fate on Sleipnir fleet
Warriors, fight your best upon that day

Oh the wolves are gonna bay
On the very last day
When you hear that horn
Call you all away
Oh the wolves will bay at the heavens so the poets say

Then Loki's bonds will burst in twain
As to the battle the dire ship sails
Yea, Loki steers the host of Niflheim
In that ship of dead men's nails
Faring from the Hel-world dire,
Ice clad ships bearing sails of fire
The Aseir meet their wyrd upon that day

Oh the wolves are gonna bay
On the very last day
When you hear that horn
Call you all away
Oh the wolves will eat the sun and the moon on the very last day

And on that dark and dreadful morn
When Heimdall blows that fateful horn
All order then will pass away
With men and Aseir on that day
All that is will then be past
Ragnarok has come at last
You will fight your final fight that day


Onward, Sven's Ormsviking
Words: Hjordis Olvirsdottir, inspired by this.
Tune: "Onward, Christian Soldiers"

Onward, Sven's Ormsviking,
Marching off to war.
With the dragon banner
Going on before!
Lift those kite shields higher
Wave those swords with pride.
Forward into battle
See your victims hide!

CHORUS:
Onward, Sven's Ormsviking,
Marching off to war.
With the dragon banner
Going on before!

French and Scots we mangle,
Dragons burn and bite!
With us you must tangle,
Run and scream in fright!
Booty is our watchword,
Pain and mead delight.
Adversaries crumble
Under dragon's might!

CHORUS

See our shield wall marching
hear the war drums boom
We'll send rival swordmen
Shrieking to the tomb.
Sword and bow together
Go down in defeat.
In the thunder of the warfield,
crushed beneath our feet.

CHORUS

Conquer every village!
Hear our battle cry!
"Hack and slash and pillage,
Then spit in their eye!"
See the craven victims
As our arrows fly
Their possessions we'll divide
we'll pound their rhino hides!

CHORUS:
Onward, Sven's Ormsviking,
Marching off to war.
With the dragon banner
Going on before!


Raw Green Mead
by Ragnar Ulfgarsson
Tune:  "I don't know how to love him"

I don't know how to drink this
I don't know if I want to
They say it's mead, some raw green mead
and they aged this brew, a day or two
and now it's in my cup, I may throw up!

I don't know how to drink this
how can I say NO politely
I wandered up, with empty cup
And they poured it in, up to the rim
And said this one's on you, what shall I do?

Should I hold my breath, should I take a sip?
Should I pour it out, and say my great horn slipped?
I never thought it would come to this,
Drinking mead so bad, I must be mad!

I see my good friend (insert name) and his horn's nearly empty
He needs some mead! some raw green mead
As I pour it in, up to the rim
I say this ones on me, you get it free!

He's laid there for an hour, I don't think that he's breathing!
He drank that mead, that raw green mead
But I'm not to blame, for (insert name) bane
He'd of done the same to me, with raw green mead.

I saw him take a sip, I saw him toss it down
I saw his eyes light up, I saw him hit the ground
I never thought it would come to this
But better him than me, should drink that mead
that awful mead, that raw green mead.


Stand Up, Stand Up For Odin
by Robert Cook
Tune: "Stand Up For Jesus"

Stand up! Stand up for Odin, you warriors of the beard!
lift high the Raven Banner that half the world has feared!
From Angleland to far Vinland shall sound the Warrior's Cry
Till every foe is vanquished, and Odin reigns most high!

March forth with steel flashing beneath the naked Sun
and never stand at rest again 'til all the World is won!
Let scarlet sword his symbol carve in every nation's sod
'Til every man still breathing stands up for OdinGod!

Let ships with prows of Dragons the mighty oceans cleave
and every land not Odin's our crimson gifts receive
let Raven Banners fill the sky where every man has trod
And all the soil beneath them belong to OdinGod!

Stand up! Stand up for Odin, you Warriors of the North!
With silver swords a-flashing to victory go forth!
From Angleland to far Vinland our joyous conquest lead
'Til every foe is vanquished, and Odin's Lord, indeed!


The Authentic Viking
(Tune: Ittsy-Bitsy-Teeny-Weeny-Yellow-Polka-Dot Bikini)

He couldn't wait to get into the village,
He was dressed so authentic-a-lly.
He couldn't wait to get into the village,
He wanted all of the Vikings to see.
(two-three-four - tell the Vikings what he wore!)

It was a Celtic-knotwork-pattered, runic, velvet silk embroidered tunic,
That he wore for the first time today.
It was a Celtic-knotwork-pattered, runic, velvet silk embroidered tunic,
So on the campsite he's going to stay.

He couldn't wait to get into the battle,
'Cause his brand new equipment he wore.
He couldn't wait to get into the battle,
He was really authentic for sure.
(two-three-four - tell the Vikings what he wore!)

It was an Anglo-Saxon-Realm-of-Elmet Benty-Grange-boar-crested-helmet,
That he wore for the first time today.
It was an Anglo-Saxon-Realm-of-Elmet Benty-Grange-boar-crested-helmet,
So in the village he's going to stay.

Now he can't wait to get into the gear check,
And I wonder what they're going to do.
Now he can't wait to get into the gear check,
and the poor officer's turning blue.
(two-three-four - tell the Vikings what he wore!)

It was a jewelled-pommelled chivalric-lord's seven-foot two-handed-great sword,
That he wore for the first time today.
It was a jewelled-pommelled chivalric-lord's seven-foot two-handed-great sword,
So in the beer tent he's going to stay.

From the village to the gear check
Where his pride was wounded sore.
From the gear check to the beer tent -
Now there isn't any more.


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The Ravenstead household is dedicated to studying the arts and sciences of the Norse culture during the “Viking Era” (700-1066 AD) and re-enacting the lifestyle of that era in our encampments.