Afar on when we took the field Our spears like stands of pine The battle weiry shield to shield We vow to hold the line. Far to the north we had put to flight An army twice this size But marching south 3 days and night Till we heard the Norman cries Breme fell at hastings And under bitter skies Pieced by the cruelest blackest reign The heart of England lies, The heart of England lies. In hearth and home and family We had welcome fires to burn But they burnt their boats behind them No hope of safe return. Now beaten down and broken We are driven from our homes And the foreign tongue is spoken now within our Saxon walls. Breme fell at hastings And under bitter skies Pieced by the cruelest blackest reign The heart of England lies, Oh the heart of England lies. In forest taken by the crown We hunt our game in fear, For if we're found they'll ride us down And trap like common deer. The castle gates their lords hand down The edict of the king. Now in every shire and county town In bondage now we sing. Breme fell at hastings And under bitter skies Pieced by the cruelest blackest reign The heart of England lies. Breme fell at hastings And under bitter skies Pieced by the cruelest blackest reign The heart of England lies, Oh the heart of England lies. (Saxon)