Angus Hempstead (Grit Laskin) A fair maid walking all in her garden A crushing flower beds all the while She just ignores the cobblestone pathway Thinks I she'll be easy to beguile So I stepped in view saying, "How do you do, ma'am?" And may I ask your true love's name O Angus Hempstead is my true love Have you brought me news from the raging main Well, if Angus Hempstead is your true love Who for many long years has been out to sea He has become a well known legend And it's news of this I bring to thee Twas while the wars were raging fiercely Both sides decided to stop for tea And thinking to catch some fish for supper Bold Angus threw hook and line to sea Now he hooked a shark that pulled him over Unto the seabed dragged him down The sunken ships there tore his body But still our Angus refused to drown Well they surfaced every twenty minutes And as they did we caught a view Of torn and mangled Angus Hempstead Whose blood in profusion did spew His long intestines hung beside him His single arm, it had no hand From where we stood, his neck looked broken And from his mouth and nose fell lumps of sand Now when this fair maid heard my story Her stomach, it grew pale and sore Somehow from this act I decided She was loyal, so I said, Fair maid, feel sick no more I am your true love, Angus Hempstead Here is the ring you gave to me Through thick and thin, through fair and foul I've had this ring to remember thee But a ring like that I've never owned, sir Twas a coin twas broke twixt Angus and me I think you are either terribly mistaken Or somewhat twisted as I can see So this couple never did get married And soon to bed they did not go They never lived in a country cottage And of her cuckoo's nest, he'll never know SOF
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!