The Ruins of Walsingham Lyrics

In the wracks of Walsingham
Whom should I choose
But the Queen of Walsingham
to be my guide and muse.


Then, thou Prince of Walsingham,
Grant me to frame
Bitter plaints to rue thy wrong,
Bitter woe for thy name.

Bitter was it so to see
The seely sheep
Murdered by the ravenous wolves
While the shepherds did sleep.


Bitter was it, O to view
The sacred vine,
Whilst the gardeners played all close,
Rooted up by the swine.

Bitter, bitter, O to behold
The grass to grow
Where the walls of Walsingham
So stately did show.

Such were the worth of Walsingham
While she did stand,
Such are the wracks as now do show
Of that Holy Land.
Level, level, with the ground
The towers do lie,
Which, with their golden glittering tops,
Pierced once to the sky.

Where were gates are no gates now,
The ways unknown
Where the press of peers did pass
While her fame was blown.


Owls do scrike where the sweetest hymns
Lately were sung,
Toads and serpents hold their dens
Where the palmers did throng.

Weep, weep, O Walsingham,
Whose days are nights,
Blessings turned to blasphemies,
Holy deeds to despites.

Sin is where Our Lady sat,
Heaven is turned to hell,
Satan sits where Our Lord did sway --
Walsingham, O farewell!

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

This is a 16th-century lament for the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, which had been laid waste by servants of King Henry VIII during the Dissolution. One of the great religious sites of Catholic England was reduced to ruins, and so it would remain until the late 19th century, when a chapel was re-established by Pope Leo XIII.

It may have been written by the martyred Philip, Earl of Arundel, grandson of the “Poet Earl” and member of the Howard family of Norfolk whose devotion to the Catholic Church is well-known.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Comments