Windward Wanderlust
[Verse 1]
When I was but a young girl
I had aspirations none
But to marry a rich merchant
And bear him rich merchant’s sons
Hearing once a minstrel’s song
I made another choice
Judged not by blood nor breeding
But the beauty of my voice
[Chorus]
A windward wanderlust
Has called me from my home
To find myself in fortune’s grace
The byways for to roam
[Verse 2]
Along the road I met a man
A comely as the sky
He offered for my travels
But a single question: Why
Would I reject the marriage bed
A home, a hearth, a fire
Oh, I seek rings from noble hands
Fame is my desire
[Chorus]
My windward wanderlust
Wouldn’t let me be his own
And so it was I steeled my heart
And made my way alone
[Verse 3]
Onward to the market towns
I traveled, seeking fame
Soon from inn to gilded hall
The people knew my name
But then cruel fate did strike me down
As like to be God’s will
For with the winter came the snow
With it I grew ill
[Chorus]
My windward wanderlust
And pride had made me vain
And the road it held no warmth for me
But the snow, the sleet, the rain
[Verse 4]
I walked as far as I could walk
I crawled yet farther still
My body numb, my senses gone
Naught held me but my will
I had no fire no shelter
No voice left to summon aid
I shivered in the frozen wind
Alone, apart, afraid
[Chorus]
Damn my windward wanderlust
The master of my fate
Across the light of freedom fell
A shadow seen too late
[Verse 5]
Slowly I awoke and I
No longer was alone
Wrapped within thick furs
I felt the warmth sink to my bones
A young man sat beside
I tried to speak but all in vain
The fear rose up inside me
Would I ever sing again?
[Chorus]
Had my windward wanderlust
Damned me for vanity
And how had I this angel gained
To sit and watch o’er me?
[Verse 6]
Many years have passed
I’ve no regrets I would declare
Just a bruising to my ego
And a lesson to beware
When you make your prideful way
Without a home or friend
The greatest fame still leaves you
Cold and friendless in the end
[Chorus]
Though my windward wanderlust
May take me from the town
Not every hand that’s offered you
Will try to tie you down
Though my windward wanderlust
Has ta’en me far to roam
The east wind takes me wandering
But the west wind brings me home