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The Njord Song
Tune: “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette
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An old man lived by the sea
He knew all it’s currents, when the tides would be
He loved ocean life and the bounty it brought
He gave advice to all sailors, whatever they sought
“You grab your mead, you take your horn....
“You raise a boast to the sea-god, Njord
“You better scuttle your gold both port and starboard
“Unless you want to be drifting home, clinging to a board
“Raise up your horn to Njord !”
A young man, in the plains he did dwell
He’d never seen water outside of a well
He came to the seashore and met the old man
Who told him how sailors made it to the foreign lands
“You grab your mead, you take your horn....
“You raise a boast to the sea-god, Njord
“You better scuttle your gold both port and starboard
“Unless you want to be drifting home, clinging to a board
“Raise up your horn to Njord !”
“The sea has a funny way of being calm and cool all day
“And everything seems just fine
“And the sea has a funny way of throwing a storm
that sends the ship out of the bay
“And into the rocks of the salty brine.”
The ship landed on the new land’s shore
The crew disembarked, exhausted to the core.
They turned back around to stare out to sea
They raised up their horns that they’d filled with mead
“Thanks to Njord, we’re safe ashore...
“We raise a boast, to the sea-god, Njord !
“He got the gold that we scuttled both port and starboard
“Now we’re standing here on this foreign shore
“Protected at sea by NJORD !”
©
Karl Donaldsson, 3 July 1994
The Hearth
of Karl Donaldsson
Njord: © Giovanni Caselli, used with permission.