Picked up a sword when I was young
And I will die before I'm old
Raised as a warrior, fame was my father,
Death was my mother, bathed in blood
Followed the banner to the fray
And there I fought throughout the day
Eagles did circle there, wolves' feast we did prepare
Wounded, though then I did not die
I've heard the death screams as men go
I've seen the blood in rivers flow
I've heard the surgeon's song, and I do know ere long,
One day too slow to dodge I'll be
One day I'll look up to the sky,
And see the lightning flash on high
Dark clouds come rolling in, then I will know my end
Singing I'll go to meet my bane
When I am gone, no tears for me
Let there instead be revelry!
Have skalds the sagas say, sing heroes' deeds that day,
Fill all the horns and drain them down
All of my life I've hoped one thing
All of my deeds the skalds to sing
For when a warrior's gone, if you do sing his song,
Truly, the warrior never dies