Christopher Lee - The Siege lyrics

My Lord King Charles A state of crisis has emerged For you've incurred the wrath Of the Lombard King Desiderius Cast his daughter aside And took another for your wife He has taken offence And it's too late to make amends Our papal lands Have been occupied by force And fallen to the hands Of the barbarian horde For too long that vile race Has remained a threat To papal authority That scheming Lombard King Is flouting his debt wilfully We must stand up and wage war This has gone on for too long It's in all of our interests to subdue them Once and for all My Lord and Holy Father This I pledge to thee Like my fathers before me I shall fight for the Holy City My Lord and Holy Father I pledge thee my loyalty I shall see this Holy City Restored to its former glory It has been three hundred years Since 'cross the Alps came Those faithless lepers To usurp the lands Of their peace-loving neighbours Encroaching closer upon Rome Their leaders wanted to Capture it for their own And now King Desiderius Has started to hara** us Your father was a champion of the Church An agent of civilisation in the western world Chosen to lead the people to the cross The time is once more upon us To look to our old friends As your fathers before you Came to our defence And you are/I a am the chosen one To lead the faithless to the cross In His Empire in the west O'er the Lord's flock you/I keep the watch And with the authority vested in me I shall claim the Iron Crown of Lombardy Come springtime The last of the alpine blasts had blown The franks are still encamped By the banks of the river Po The son of Desiderius to Byzantium had flown The banks of the river Po Are swelled by the melting snows