Seventeen feet across Of the hardest oak to be found Cut to the shape of the sun and the moon Shine the color of ale And the knights of the living cross Gathered all around Raise their goblets and drink a toast To the search for the holy grail There was one well known for charity And whose voice was gruff And one who wielded a deadly sword With the finest lace on his cuff There was talk about a fearful ghost The bastard son if a king Who died at the knee of his lordly host You could hear his armor ring Still hear his armor ring Pure in heart and mind, The key to all you seek Those were the words of the mighty king As he looked deep into their eyes The best of you have wined and dined You're treacherous when you speak You look for a way to seal your faith But you find a compromise You have raised your voice in vanity You have turned your back on the poor You have closed your heart to the written word You defend the evil-doer Now the time is come to clean your minds If the good is to prevail I offer this emerald to the one who finds Our saviour's holy grail Our saviour's holy grail Banners in the sky, armor gleaming in the sun The sounds of the horses, trumpets and drums As they marched for the countryside And the villagers they rode Be were silent everyone Frightened mothers closed their shades And they made their daughters hide And then they came upon a community On a quiet summer's day But these travelers to jerusalem Saw nothing in their way And before the night fell on that town They had crucified the priest They robbed and pillaged and burned it down And kept headin' toward the east They kept headin' toward the east Came to israel stood shimmering in the sand Thirsty men could close their eyes And see the milk and honey flow The blood of the infidel Still fresh upon their hands They knocked the ancient doorway down Like the walls of a jericho And they thanked their christianity For the temple they had seized And though no one found the holy grail The mighty king was pleased For he had changed the face of history And a legend had begun And little children were taught to see how The good lord's work is done And little children were taught to see how The good lord's work is done And little children were taught to see how The good lord's work is done And little children were taught to see how The good lord's work is done