will o the wisp

Lyrics

[Intro - lone tin whistle echoing over soft Celtic harp arpeggios, distant bodhrán heartbeat]

[Verse 1 - gentle Uilleann pipes and wooden Irish flute weaving, bodhrán pulsing quietly, female vocals intimate and close]
Through the peat and the whispering fen
A silver spark where the night begins
No lantern, no star, no compass in hand
Just a flicker of gold on the black, black land

[Pre-Chorus - Celtic harp rising, fiddle enters with soft drones, tension building like mist]
Feet sink deeper where the river bends
The old path gone, the story ends
Yet something calls with a laughing flame
Calling my name, calling my name

[Chorus - full traditional ensemble: soaring fiddle, layered Uilleann pipes, bodhrán driving, tin whistle dancing above, group harmonies]
Will-o’-the-wisp, guide me true
Through the dark where the lost ones grew
Light my step, don’t let me stray
I’ll follow your fire till the break of day
Will-o’-the-wisp, don’t fade away

[Verse 2 - bodhrán rolls heavier, fiddle takes the melody, wooden flute answers with ornamented runs]
Over the stones and the sleeping stones
Past the cairn where the old king moans
Your lantern swings in the windless air
A promise of home, or a beautiful snare

[Bridge - stripped to Celtic harp and single bodhrán strikes, raw female vocal with faint pipe drone]
If you lead me wrong, I’ll still go on
For the night is long and the road is gone
One spark of hope in the endless black
I’ll chase you down and never look back

[Final Chorus - explosive full band reprise, fiddle flying, pipes wailing, bodhrán thunderous, tin whistle soaring, all voices united]
Will-o’-the-wisp, guide me true
Through the dark where the lost ones grew
Light my step, don’t let me stray
I’ll follow your fire till the break of day
Will-o’-the-wisp, don’t fade away

[Outro - instruments drop one by one, lone tin whistle fading into harp resonance and distant bodhrán pulse]