By request, here are the words to the marching song I wrote for Brendoken and performed at the Baronial Court at Pennsic 35 and then again at Masque of Courtly Love in 2007. With the kind assistance of Lady Ursula the Widow, I have also added a MIDI file so you can hear the tune, and the sheet music in printable PDF format.

The Banner of Brendoken

© 2006 by Iustinos Tekton called Justin

In a pastoral meadow stands a warrior tall.
At a pell he strikes blows every day,
Perfecting his skill as he sharpens his will
Knowing foes at his feet soon will lay.*

REFRAIN (after each verse)
Farewell! Farewell! To the target and pell,
Swords, arise! Arrows, darken the skies!
For our purpose is clear, and we'll go without fear
Where the Banner of Brendoken flies!

In the dark of the wood lurks a Forester's eye,
With an arrow to follow its gaze.
When that arrow is loosed, with its aim sharp and true,
Woe to any who stand in its way!

At his forge stands a smith with a hammer in hand,
Striking blows that harm no one at all.
But tremble, ye foes! For the armourer's blows
Are the death-knell – your soul hears their call!

In the castle's great hall sits a Herald, alone,
And she waits for the words she must cry.
On command, forth she rides, spreads the news far and wide,
That today all our enemies die!

As the cook stokes her fire, in the kitchen at dawn,
In her apron she shouts to her crew,
"Bring more bread! Bring more meat! For an army must eat!
We will stoke our knights' courage with stew!"

From the mills and the shops come the townsfolk to hear,
When the Baron and Baroness call.
"Every hand to its task! For the thing that is asked
Is the work that brings victory to all!"

The strength of an army's not only in swords!
In the craft hall it's born, and the farm.
Though our numbers are few, we know what we must do,
And the wind at our back is a storm!

Author's notes

(*) Yes, I know this is grammatically incorrect. Call it poetic license.

If a shorter version is needed for marching, you can drop verses 3, 4, and 5 without upsetting me. I'd appreciate it if they remain in all written copies, because one of my foremost goals with this song was that it should be inclusive of more than just combatants. That being said, I understand that it's long enough to be impractical for some settings, and it's okay to shorten it if needed for a specific performance. I just don't want those middle verses to be utterly forgotten.

Permission is granted to share, reprint, and perform this song with all in the Barony. All I ask is proper credit as the composer, by my SCA name (see above). If you perform this at a bardic circle, it's sufficient to just introduce it (before or afterward) as a song by "Justin". Feel free to post the lyrics on web pages, print them out for other Brendoken citizens to learn, etc. Have fun!

And some humorous background...

This is the first serious song I've ever written, and my first original tune. (At least, it's original as far as I know, though I'm told by bardic friends that it's easy to accidentally retrieve a forgotten melody from your own subconscious.)

I didn't plan to write this. I pulled a near-all-nighter on a Wednesday night for my modern-world job. Then I pulled a full all-nighter Thursday night. At about 5:30 a.m. on Friday, totally fried but wired on caffeine, my Muse spoke... No, my Muse did not speak. She whacked me on the head with an iron bar, pointed at my keyboard, and commanded, "Sit down. WRITE!" And thus this song was born.