Beggar at the Feast

Original tune

He was just a little beggar man,
With nothing but a song in his heart,
He went out to find his fortune,
To follow and take fate's arm.

And there were wine and women and song,
And the glory of the road,
But for all that he found there,
His heart did not unfold.

He rescued a maiden fair,
The dragons all lay slain,
She took him home to father,
And it's there that he remains.
And there were wine and women and song,
And the glory of the court,
But for all that he found there
His dreams still came up short.

For he was blindly seeking
What was his all along,
But it took him time to find his heart,
Took years to hear his song.

One night as they sat feasting
He heard a minstrel play:
There was a little beggar man
Who came from far away . . .

And he jumped up on the table,
He tried to sing along,
It shocked the court,
But finally, he knew where he'd gone wrong.

And there were wine and women and song
But it was the last he sought,
And he went to take up the minstrel's life
And learn the tunes he taught.

And there were wine and women and song,
In the taverns and the bars,
Sometimes you take the longest path
To wind up where you are.

Yes, I've definitely got a thing about cyclical bard stories ...