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Come sit you a while and I'll sing you a song,
Of three merry gentlemen riding along;
They spied a fair maid and to her did say,
"I fear this cold morning will do you some harm"
"Oh no, kind sir," said the maid, "You're mistaken,
To think this cold morning could do me some harm;
There's one thing I crave, and it lies twixt your legs,
If you'll give me that, it will keep me warm."
"Well since you crave it, my dear, you shall have it,
If you'll come with me to yonder green tree;
Then since you do crave it, my dear you shall have it,
I'll make these two gentlemen witness to me."
So the gentleman lighted and straightway she mounted,
And looking the gentleman hard in the face,
Said, "You knew not my meaning, you wrong understood me."
And away she went galloping down the long lane.
"Oh, gentlemen, here, lend me one of your horses,
That I might persue her down the long lane;
If I overtake her, I'll warrant I'll make her,
Return unto me my own horse again."
But soon as this maiden, oh, she saw him coming,
She instantly then took a pistol in hand;
Saying, "Doubt not my skill, it's you that I'll kill,
I'll have you stand back or you are a dead man."
"Oh, why do you spend your time here in talking?
Oh why do you waste your time here in vain?
Come give her a guinea, it's what she deserves,
And I'll warrant she'll give you your own horse again."
"Oh, no, kind sir, you're vastly mistaken,
And if it's his loss, well it is my gain;
And you are a witness that he give it to me."
And away she went galloping down the long lane.
This variant arranged by Paul Butler of Burlap Lute (Here Be Monsters © 2005).
A variant was collected in 1958 from Freeman Bennett of St Paul's, NL, by Ken Peacock and published as The Maid And The Horse in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.214-215, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
