Current 93 - Tamlin

Lady margaret, lady margaret was sowing at the sea she’s all dressed in black and a thought came in her head to roam in the woods to pull flowers to flower her hat, my boys to pull flowers to flower her hat so she hoisted up her petticoats a bit above the knee and so nimbly she ran over the ground and when she came to the merrygreen woods she pulled those branches down, my boys she pulled those branches down Suddenly she spied a fine young man he’s standing by a tree he says how dare you pull those branches down? without the leave of me, my dear without the leave of me well she says this little wood it is my very own my father gave it to me i can pull these branches down without the leave of thee, young man oh without the leave of thee and he took a by the milk-white hand and by the grass-green sleeve he pulled her down at the foot of the bush he never once asked her leave, my boys oh he never once asked her leave and when it was down she twisted about to ask her true love’s name but she nothing saw she nothing heard and all the woods grew dim and all the woods grew dim There’s four and twenty ladies all in the land and they’re all playing a chess except it was the lady margaret and she’s green as any glass, my boys oh she’s green as any glass and these four-and-twenty ladies all in the land grow as red any rose except the lady margaret she’s pale and wan, my boys oh pale and wan she goes up then spoke the little serving girl she lifted her hand and smiled she said i think my lady’s loved too long and now she goes with child, my dears oh and now she goes with child up then spoke the second serving girl oh ever and alas says she that i think i know a herb in the merry green wood that’ll twine thy baby from thee it’ll rip off thy babe from thee