Muffle the horses' hooves with straw
For we have lost our prince.

A mother lost her child
A father lost his son.

Beat, beat, beat the drum
For all of us have lost a son.

His tunic and his arms lay forth in solemn ceremony of death.
Follow his coffin with head held high
And for the love we bear.
Our grief is palpable as earth
And we will march behind him
For the simple joy he brought to all our lives.

Play that sad song to a dead prince
Who was and is ourselves.
We are the poorer now.
His is the richness of a shooting star.
Steadily we'll follow on behind.

We carry him to the grave with love and pride
Who never dropped his sword
But fought with courage
Till his arm grew tired.

Beat, beat, beat the drum
For all of us have lost a son.

17th April 2015