Listen to the track:
The Fire on Knighton Hill
There is no direct archaeological or documentary proof of a permanent beacon structure on Knighton Hill . However, there is plausible circumstantial and toponymic evidence that it was used as a temporary beacon site, particularly during the Elizabethan era, such as the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588. I could be right, I could be wrong.
Verse 1
No stone was raised on Knighton’s brow
Just stacked-up brush and bracken now
But when the watchman saw the flame
He knew the land would never be the same
Pre-Chorus
Eyes to the sea and back to the Moor
Waiting for signs of enemy oar
Chorus
The fire on Knighton Hill lit the sky
A shout of light where hawks still fly
It called to Drake where his ship lay moored
He saw the blaze and swung aboard
Hill to hill the message flew
Let the beacons burn right through
Verse 2
The word came down, the fleet was near
Tall ships cut west with guns and fear
But we had storms and Devon stone
And men who’d never fight alone
Pre-Chorus
He took the tide with sails drawn tight
And vanished out into the night
Chorus
The fire on Knighton Hill lit the sky
A warning flare no soul passed by
It burned through mist and cannon roar
It watched as thunder met the shore
The sails were dark, the decks ran red
But Spain turned back with half its dead
Bridge
No plaque remains, no beacon frame
Just sheep and grass and whispered name
But up that hill, if wind is still
You’ll feel the heat and hear it still
Final Chorus
The fire on Knighton Hill burned proud
A Devon voice that spoke out loud
It rang through time, it scarred the air
A spark that told the world we care
Let them come and bring their might
But we had fire, and we had right