On midsummer's night he strayed into the woods
To a grove where an ancient oak grew by a lake
He met a maiden on the shore
Who came and whispered to him:
"Come look into my mirror"
She took his hand and led him
To the water's edge where
Their reflection they stared
You will be king for a summer's day
And you can ask for whatever you may
Not a thing shall be denied of you
For on that thunder-blasted oak
Grows the sacred golden bough
Eternal life it will endow
Deep in the grove she led her king-to-be
Gave him a blade to cut the sacred mistletoe
That climbed the branches of an oak
And to its trunk with an iron yoke
Was a madman shackled
And as the fire crackled said she:
"As winter's slain by spring
King must be slain by king"
This oak was struck by heaven's ire
The golden bough houses its fire
That must blaze on this midsummer's day
And when the feast will end you'll see
You must be shackled to this tree
To guard it till another sets you free