Verse 1)The wind it did howl across the wild moor,It rattled the windows and shook the oak door.Old Elsie lay sleeping as cold winter blew,With only her hound dog, so steady and true.He wasn't the fastest, the strongest, or grand,But he knew every shake of his sweet mistress' hand.(Chorus)Oh, watchman of winter, oh, guard of the night,The brave dog named Bramble who ran for the light.Not swift for the hunting, nor fierce for the fray,But his love kept the shadows of darkness at bay.(Verse 2)The midnight drew heavy, the fire burned low,When Elsie’s breath faltered, and pulses grew slow.Old Bramble he nudged her, and whined in his dread,Then leapt with a panic right off of her bed.With claws on the timber and paws in the frost,He flew to the village ere all could be lost.(Chorus)Oh, watchman of winter, oh, guard of the night,The brave dog named Bramble who ran for the light.Not swift for the hunting, nor fierce for the fray,But his love kept the shadows of darkness at bay.(Verse 3)He barked at the window, he scratched at the gate,To wake up the neighbor before 'twas too late.They followed his tracks through the drifting white snow,Back to the cottage where life flickered low.The healer he whispered, "A minute too late,And Elsie had knocked at the heavenly gate."(Verse 4)Now spring brings the heather and summer the gold,And Elsie sits warm by the hearth from the cold.She rests her frail hand on his brown-and-white head,And says, "My brave boy," for the tears she has shed.He doesn't need glory, he doesn't need speed,Just a place by her side is all Bramble does need.(Chorus)Oh, watchman of winter, oh, guard of the night,The brave dog named Bramble who ran for the light.Not swift for the hunting, nor fierce for the fray,But his love kept the shadows of darkness at bay.
