the hangman and the papist

• the strawbs'un şahsım adına en başarılı parçalarından birisidir.! girişteki klavye ve akustik gitarın uyumu..! "aman allahım" dedirtmekle kalmaz bir de soğuk su içirttirir adama.! sözleri ise zaten ayrı bir hikayedir.! dikkatli okuyunuz...!
  
  the village square stands quiet with the curfew still in force
  the streets are even clear of dogs and whores
  like some evil bird of prey the scaffold spreads its wings
  the people build their fires and bolt their doors
  the mayor is giving dinner to the officers and wives
  his eldest son is learning how to fawn
  the barrack block is hushed and tense, the soldiers drawing lots
  who will be the hangman in the dawn.
  
  the lot falls on a young man who has served for but a year
  his home is in the village close nearby
  he shivers at the thought of what he's forced to do next day
  he wonders who it is that has to die
  the full moon casts a cold light on the gloomy prison walls
  the papist walk his cell, he cannot sleep
  he hears the waiting gallows creaking just beyond the door
  he prays for he has no more tears to weep.
  
  the day begins to break, the muffled drums begin to sound
  a crowd begins to gather in the square
  the presence of the hangman in his terrifying mask
  weighs heavy on the minds of all those there
  the colonel reads the sentence which the papist knows by heart
  he has failed to show allegiance to the king
  his crime is thus with god himself, in his name he must hang
  the papist, head held high, says not a thing.
  
  the jailer binds his hands and puts the blindfold to his eyes
  he leads him through the door before the crowd
  the hangman sees his victim and the blood drains from his face
  he sees his younger brother standing proud
  the hangman tries to protest but is ordered to proceed
  his trembling hands begin to take the strain
  his eyes are blind with streaming tears, he cries for all to hear
  "forgive me god, we hang him in they name".
• (bkz: rick wakeman)