The Four Seasons
By Brian Pearson
(From the album "Tam Lin")
 
Breezes blow through the woods in springtime
Roots drink deep from the wakened earth
The young leaves shine in the quickening sunlight
Dance the song of the new year's birth
The dance goes on and it's never ending
The circle turns and the singer sings
The year turns round but the woods in springtime
Do not care what the winter brings.
 
When the leaves are long in the days of summer
And the light drifts through them cool and green
The great trees stir in their dreaming sleep
And sing slow tales of the years they've seen
The dance goes on and it's never ending
The circle turns and the tale unfolds
The years turn round but the wood in summer
Has no thought of the winter's cold.
 
Blackberry, hazel, and elderberry
Hang heavy and ripe in the shortening days
Bright as a banner the autumn leaves burn
Red in the old sun's dying rays
The dance goes on and it's never ending
The circle turns and returns again
The year burns on but the wood in autumn
Gathers itself for the winter's pain.
 
When winter bites and the leaves are falling
Through the hawthorn cold winds run
Through the dwindling day the cruel-leafed holly
Keeps safe the memory of the sun
The dance goes on and it's never ending
The circle turns and the singer sings
The year grows old but the winter wood
Still holds the memory of the spring.