[Intro] [Jaunty nylon-string guitar strum] Hark, gather close, you weary souls, the week has reached its end! The finest of the seven days has come around again! But do you know, good gentle folk, why Sunday bears that name? From ancient skies and chasing wolves and goddesses it came! (And so did Sunday!) [Verse 1] Four thousand years in Babylon, before your grandsires' time, The stargazers first mapped the week with astronomical rhyme! They named each day for heavenly lights that crossed the vault above, The sun, the moon, the wandering stars, from duty more than love! [Chorus] Sunday! Sunnandæg! (Sun-an-dag!) The blazing sun's own day! A goddess drove the daylight forth, and none could make her stay! Sunday! First of the week! (Or last, as scholars say!) When Babylonian stargazers first pointed Sol's own way! [Verse 2] The Romans took this ancient gift and fashioned it with pride, Dies Solis! Sun's own day! They bellowed far and wide! Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun, whose light would never fail, Rode golden through the sky each dawn along Rome's gilded trail! [Chorus] [Verse 3] But when the Norse and Germanic folk heard Rome's celestial plan, They swapped the Roman sun god out for one of their own clan! A goddess she, called Sol or Sunna, radiant and bright, Who drove a blazing chariot forth to conjure morning light! [Verse 4] [Percussion enters, tempo builds] Her horses pulled the blazing cart through heaven's open air, Called Arvakr, the Early Riser, leaping without care! And Alsvithr, Ever-Swift, who raced as fast as thought can fly, While Svalinn's shield rode out before to cool the scorching sky! [Bridge] [Slower, mock-philosophical tone] But here the lesson grows most strange, so lend your ears with care! They call this "day of rest" they do, with quite theatrical flair! (They really do!) Yet Sol has never rested once since time itself was new, For Skohl the wolf runs close behind and she must race right through! So when you rest on Sunday morn and claim the day your own, Spare a thought for Sol, who toils through heaven all alone! (Poor Sol!) [Verse 5] Then Christian folk in later years claimed Sunday for their Lord, The day of resurrection bright, they took it and restored! The Lord's own day they called it true, a holy time of prayer, Where pagan sun and Christian light together mingled there! [Final Verse] [Upbeat, driving finish] So now you know from Babylon through Rome and Norse and more, How Sunnandæg became the word that Sunday carries for! From solar gods to lady Sol with wolves upon her trail, To Christian dawn and days of rest, it's quite a winding tale! (Quite a tale!) [Outro] [Gentle, coin-request tempo] So raise your cup to Sunday's name, from Babylon's first chart, From dies Solis, Sunnandæg, straight to your weary heart! Now if this tale has pleased you well, a copper coin I'd seek, For I have now explained all seven days of the week! (All seven! Each and every one!) [Final strum and recorder trill]
