Current 93 - Tamlin lyrics

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 gra**-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 done 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 gla**, my boys oh she's green as any gla** 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 so lady margaret she got herself a comb she made haste to comb her hair and then she's away to the merry green woods as fast as she can tear, my boys as fast as she can tear and she hadn't pulled in the merry green woods a herb that barely won when by her stands the young tamlin he says margaret leave it alone oh margaret leave it alone why do you pull that bitter little herb that herb that grows so grey for to destroy that fine young baby that we got in our play, my dear oh that we got in our play well come tell me now young tamling says she if an earthly man you be i tell you no lies, says young tamlin i was christined as good as thee i was christined as good as thee but as i rode a-hunting on a bitter bitter night it was from my horse i fell and the queen of elvin she caught me into yonder green hill to dwell oh into yonder green hill to dwell but tonight is halloween lady the elvin caught will ride and if you would your true love win by the millbridge you must hide, my dears by the millbridge you must hide and first will run the black horse then will the brown and then will run the white you hold him fast, you fear him not for he's the father of your child, my love he's the father of your child they'll turn me on in your arms lady into many a beasts so wild but you hold them fast, you fear no ill it's the father of your child, my love it's the father of your child so lady margaret, she gets herself a comb she made haste to comb her hair then she's away to the old millbrdige as fast as she could tear, my boys as fast as she could tear and about the dead hour of the night she heard the bridles ring oh my boys, she had her heart more than any earthly thing it did more than any earthly thing and first run the black horse then the brown and then raced by the white well she held it fast, she feared it not for it's the father of her child it's the father of her child the thunderoll across the sky the stars blazed bright as day the queen of elvin gave a thrilling cry tamlin's away brave boys brave tamlin's away the very first thing they turned him into is a lion that runs so wild but she held him fast, she feared him not he's the father of her child, my boys he's the father of her child and the very next thing they turned him into it was a loathsome snake he says hold me fast, fear me not for i'm one of god's own make, my love oh i'm one of god's own make and again they changed him all in her arms to a red-hot bar of iron but she held it fast, she feared it not it did to her no harm it did to her no harm and the very last thing they changed him into was like any naked man she flung her mantle over him she cried my love i've won i've won she cried my love i've won but the queen of elvin she called for a bush she's red as any blood i should have taken out your eyes, tamlin and put in two eyes of wood and put in two eyes of wood