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Last night I was at a noble gay wedding,
It's all of a fair one that proved unkind;
It's soon she began for to think on her lover,
And upon her true lover that she left behind.
When the wedding supper was over, and all things were ready,
Every man was for to sing a song;
The first that began was her former true lover,
And the song that he sang was concerning of her.
"How can you lay your head on another man's pillow?
How can you lay your head on another man's bed?
And how can you wear now the ring that was given?
And how can you break the vow that you made?
"How can you lay your head on another man's pillow?
And I was your true love for so long;
You're leaving me now for to wear the green willow,
All whilst I'm singing my song.
"How long am I doomed for to wear this green willow?
Is it for one month or is it for two?
Oh, I'll throw away all this woeful green willow,
And I'll change the old love all for the new."
The bride she sat at the head of the table,
Every word she remarked it quite well;
But to hold any longer she was not well able,
When it's down by the bridegroom's seat she fell.
"There is one request I will ask of you,
It's the first and the last it may be;
Give me this night for to lie by my mother,
And every next night, love, I'll lie long with you."
The request she asked and it was quickly granted,
With sighing and sobbing they both went to bed;
It was early, oh early, the very next morning,
When the bridegroom arose and he found his love dead.
He said, "Willow green it's a very fine flower,
It blooms in the spring in that season of the year;
And many is the young man that discourses his lover,
They discourse one another but I'll never be the man."
Collected in 1950 from Mrs. Bride Power (b.1873) of Tors Cove, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA). A variant was collected in 1951 from F. Sutton of Trepassey, NL, and published as The Gay Wedding in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA). A variant was also collected in 1951 from Jim Rice of Cape Broyle, NL, by Ken Peacock and published as The Nobleman's Wedding in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 3, pp.691-692, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
