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Help, radiant young maiden, may I be your lover?
Condemn me no longer to mourn and to weep;
Struck down like a hawk I lay wounded and bleeding,
Let down your drawbridge, and I'll enter your keep.
Enter your keep, nonny nonny, enter your keep, nonny nonny,
Let down your drawbridge, and I'll enter your keep.
Alas, gentle errant, for I am no maiden,
I'm married to Sir Oswald, the cunning old Celt,
And he's gone to the wars now for ten years or longer,
And he's taken the key to my chastity belt.
Chastity belt, nonny nonny, chastity belt, nonny nonny,
Taken the key to my chastity belt.
Oh, fear not, gentle maiden, for I know of a locksmith,
And to his forge we'll go and on his door we'll knock,
And we'll try to avail of his specialized knowledge
And see if he's able to unpick your lock.
Unpick your lock, nonny nonny, unpick your lock, nonny nonny,
See if he's able to unpick your lock.
"Now alas, sir and madam, to help I'm unable,
My technical knowledge is of no avail;
See, I can't find the secret to your combination,
For that cunning old bastard he's fitted a Yale!"
Fitted a Yale, nonny nonny, fitted a Yale, nonny nonny,
Cunning old bastard has fitted a Yale!
"Well, I'm back from the wars now with sad news of disaster,
A terrible mishap I have to confide:
Well, you see while my ship was passing the Strait of Gibraltar
I carelessly dropped the key over the side!"
Over the side, nonny nonny, over the side, nonny nonny,
Carelessly dropped the key over the side!
"Alas and alack, I am locked up for ever!"
When up spoke the page boy: "I'll free your knot," said he,
"If you will allow me to enter your chamber,
I shall open you up with my duplicate key!"
Duplicate key, nonny nonny, duplicate key, nonny nonny,
Open you up with my duplicate key!
This variant was arranged and recorded by Ryan's Fancy (Ryan's Fancy Live, trk#5, 1975, Audat Records, Oshawa, ON).
See more songs by Ryan's Fancy.
In his CSU Fresno Web site, Drinking Songs, John Patrick writes: This is a modern bawdy folksong that tries to imitate the Elizabethan style song. It enjoyed some popularity among rugby players in the 1960's and at folk festivals in the UK. The earliest I have been able to document this song is from 1956/57 at an RAF party. It may be of WWII RAF currency.
