Courtyard Lullaby
McKennitt, Loreena
The Visit (1991)

Words and music by Loreena McKennitt

Wherein the deep night sky
The stars lie in its embrace
The courtyard still in its sleep
And peace comes over your face.

"Come to me," it sings
"Hear the pulse of the land
The ocean's rhythms pull
To hold your heart in its hand."

And when the wind draws strong
Across the cypress trees
The nightbirds cease their songs
So gathers memories.

Last night you spoke of a dream
Where forests stretched to the east
And each bird sang its song
A unicorn joined in a feast

And in a corner stood
A pomegranate tree
With wild flowers there
No mortal eye could see

Yet still some mystery befalls
Sure as the cock crows at morn
The world in stillness keeps
The secret of babes to be born

I heard an old voice say
"Don't go far from the land
The seasons have their way
No mortal can understand."