# Songs with medieval imagery **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809 "2008-07-09T07:21:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bravo\_Romeo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bravo\_Romeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bravo_Romeo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/1 "2008-07-09T07:21:40Z")
I’m not sure if the word ‘medieval’ is right to describe what I’m thinking here, but can anyone recommend some songs with themes like knights, princesses, castles, etc? I’m thinking sort of along the lines of All Along The Watchtower. Viva La Vida (song) also has the sort of imagery I’m trying to describe. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/2 "2008-07-09T10:06:34Z")
[QUOTE=Hyper Aware] I’m not sure if the word ‘medieval’ is right to describe what I’m thinking here, but can anyone recommend some songs with themes like knights, princesses, castles, etc? I’m thinking sort of along the lines of All Along The Watchtower. Viva La Vida (song) also has the sort of imagery I’m trying to describe. [/QUOTE] Suzanne Vega: [The Queen and the Soldier](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/suzanne-vega/the-queen-and-the-soldier.html) Sting: [Fortress around your Heart](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/sting-police/fortress-around-yur-heart.html) That kind of thing? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/3 "2008-07-09T10:36:16Z")
How about “Knights in White Satin”? I only recently found out that isn’t how it’s spelled. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/4 "2008-07-09T11:31:57Z")
A couple in an Arthurian mood: Crosby, Stills & Nash: “Guinevere” Moody Blues: “Are You Sitting Comfortably” ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/5 "2008-07-09T11:51:55Z")
[Dancing With The Moonlit Knight](http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=RdD6L4cKKU8) by Genesis is the first thing I thought of also [Emerald](http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=rENy7MQIYJs) by Thin Lizzy and the classics by Queen, [Seven Seas of Rhye](http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=P1j-6vRykFs) and [Ogre Battle](http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=4DvlYv5RrVQ)(excellent quality btw–LOVE that guitar). I know Queen has some more… Oh, and I imagine basically every Opeth song is set in a medieval setting, but it’s not like you’re gonna hear the lyrics without looking em up anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/6 "2008-07-09T11:59:12Z")
If folk songs are allowed, then we’re opening up a whole new can of wyrms, but I’ll kick off with UK folkies [Pentangle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentangle_(band)) performing [Hunting Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFuxq_J1VuA) _(warning: link is a YouTube video)_, featuring the astonishing vocals of [Jacqui McShee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqui_McShee) in her prime. ---
**Author:** ![sulamith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@sulamith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sulamith)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/7 "2008-07-09T12:01:08Z")
Gallow’s Pole by Zeppelin. Medieval justice. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/8 "2008-07-09T12:07:49Z")
Led Zeppelin’s Battle of Evermore Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush Jethro Tull- the entire Songs from the Woods album, also much if not all of the Broadsword and the Beast album The Mummers Song and most anything by Loreena McKennitt ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/9 "2008-07-09T12:27:06Z")
Good answers so far. I really like The Mummer’s Dance and Fortress Around Your Heart. A few more: Rainbow had quite a few songs with this type of theme on their first three albums: Rainbow Rising, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, and I think the third album is called Long Live Rock and Roll. There are too many songs to list, but some of the standouts are Sixteenth Century Greensleeves, Kill the King, and Stargazer. Also, there is Ritchie Blackmore’s folk band, Blackmore’s Night. [STRIKE]Pretty much[/STRIKE] EVERY song is in that theme. Rush has a few songs like this on their early albums. Check out the album A Farewell to Kings. It’s a great album, and most of the songs have a sort of midievel feel to them…except Cygnus X-1, which is about a voyage into a black hole. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/10 "2008-07-09T12:33:29Z")
Pretty much anything by Steeleye Span. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/11 "2008-07-09T14:24:39Z")
The good Friar already mentioned Jethrol Tull, but I would have to add **Thick As A Brick**. Altough the imagery is certainly medieval, the subject matter is not. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/12 "2008-07-09T14:36:18Z")
No one has mentioned Jethro Tull—practically everything from _Songs from the Wood_ has medieval imagery and a medieval feel to it. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/13 "2008-07-09T14:38:04Z")
[QUOTE=Gail] No one has mentioned Jethro Tull—practically everything from _Songs from the Wood_ has medieval imagery and a medieval feel to it. [/QUOTE] By “no one”, I assume you mean “two people”. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/14 "2008-07-09T15:03:45Z")
Robert Earl Keen’s “Christabel” manages to be both medieval and country. Bizarre, but good. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/15 "2008-07-09T15:16:16Z")
Fairport Convention - a particularly good example being the (shivers-up-the-spine thanks to Sandy Denny’s extraordinary voice and phrasing) traditional ballad [Matty Groves](http://www.lyricsdownload.com/fairport-convention-matty-groves-lyrics.html). ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/16 "2008-07-09T15:23:38Z")
Also in the folk realm, Jack Hardy writes a lot of songs that have that Child Ballad feel to them, even though they’re modern. [The Knight’s Dream](http://www.jackhardy.com/jhwhiteg.html#knightsd) fits your requirements. Archie Fisher’s “The Witch of the West Mer Lands” (also covered by Stan Rogers) is another modern song with a very old feel to it. ---
**Author:** ![Richey84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Richey84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richey84)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/17 "2008-07-09T15:32:10Z")
The Smiths - “Bigmouth Strikes Again” references Joan of Arc getting burned at the stake. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/18 "2008-07-09T18:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=sulamith] Gallow’s Pole by Zeppelin. Medieval justice. [/QUOTE] Although the song probably has its roots in the Middle Ages, I think Led Zeppelin’s version of it has more of a feel for the 17th and early 18th century. As for other songs with medieval imagery, there’s “John Barleycorn” which was done by Traffic, Fairport Convention, and many others. It’s another traditional song with roots in the Middle Ages (if not earlier). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/19 "2008-07-09T18:54:03Z")
Quite a few by Queen Great King Rat Liar Seven Seas of Rhye White Queen Ogre Battle The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke The March of the Black Queen Lily of the Valley The Prophet’s Song Bohemian Rhapsody ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809/20 "2008-07-09T19:13:14Z")
[QUOTE=Mojo Pin] [Dancing With The Moonlit Knight](http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=RdD6L4cKKU8) by Genesis is the first thing I thought of [/QUOTE] Speaking of Genesis, there’s also [“Timetable”](http://www.genesisdiscography.com/GtimetableLyr.htm) from Foxtrot: > [@](#): > > A carved oak table, > Tells a tale > Of times when kings and queens sipped wine from goblets gold, > And the brave would lead their ladies from out of the room > to arbours cool. > > A time of valour, and legends born > A time when honour meant much more to a man than life > And the days knew only strife to tell right from wrong > Through lance and sword. But the song is really about how even the grandest times fade and go away. > [@](#): > > A dusty table > Musty smells > Tarnished silver lies discarded upon the floor > Only feeble light descends through a film of grey > That scars the panes. > Gone the carving, > And those who left their mark, > Gone the kings and queens now only the rats hold sway > And the weak must die according to nature’s law > As old as they. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-medieval-imagery/455809.md?page=2)