[Verse] There once was a man named Lir, With four children he held most dear, Lir's children were young and strong, And had an unbreakable bond. After the children's mother died, Lir took her sister as his bride, At first Aoife was loving and friendly, But soon her heart felt envy. [Pre chorus] Aoife wanted the children gone, So she cursed them to live as swans, The children were then transformed, Into white and feathery forms. [Chorus] Hear the swans' song across the sea, Lilting voices through nine centuries, Sorrow and storms they withstood, While mourning their lost childhoods. Their songs comforted the weary and worn, So day and night the children performed, And while the children longed to be free, They were trapped inside swan bodies. [Verse] Aoife was punished for her spite, But this was poor recompense for their plight, Her awful curse remained, So the children faced more years of pain. But the children of Lir stayed true, And their love for one another grew, And while they suffered from their fate, Their strong sibling bond did not break. [Chorus] Hear the swans' song across the sea, Lilting voices through nine centuries, Sorrow and storms they withstood, While mourning their lost childhoods. Their songs comforted the weary and worn, So day and night the children performed, And while the children longed to be free, They were trapped inside swan bodies. [Outro] When the pagan gods began to fade, The children's curse was unmade, A holy man freed the children of Lir, Ending their suff'ring of 900 years. The children of Lir were free at last, But so much time had elapsed, They were withered and aged, But peacefully went to their graves.
