Bonny Hind It's May she comes and May she goes down by the garden green It's there she spied a good young squire as good as e'er be seen It's May she comes and May she goes down by the Holland green And it's there she spied a brisk young squire as brisk as e'er be seen "Come give to me your green mantle, give to me your maidenhead If you won't give me your green mantle, give me your maidenhead" He's ta'en her by the milk-white hand and gently laid her down And it's when he raised her up again giving her a silver comb "Perhaps there may be bends or perhaps there may be none But if you be a courtier pray tell to me your name" "Oh I am no courtier" he said "but new come from the sea Oh I am no courtier" he said "but when I courted thee They call me Jack when I'm abroad, sometimes they call me John But when I'm in my father's bower, oh, Jock Randal is my name" "You lie, you lie, you bonny lad, so loud I hear you lie For I am Lord Randal's only daughter, he has no more than me" "You lie, you lie, you bonny lass, so loud I hear you lie For I am Lord Randal's very own son that new come from the sea" She's puttin' down by her side and out she's taken a knife And she's put in in her own heart's blood and taken away her life And he's taken his only sister with a big tear in his eye And he's buried his only sister beneath the Holland tree It's soon he's hied him o'er the dales his father due to see "It's oh and woe for my bonny hind beneath the Holland tree" "What care you for a bonny hind, for it you need not care There's eight score hinds in yon green park and five score is to spare" "Oh score at them a silver shot and these you may get three But oh and woe for my bonny hind beneath the Holland tree" "What care you for your bonny hind, for it you need not care Take you the best and leave me the worst since plenty is to spare" "I care not for your hinds, kind sir, I care not for your fee But it's oh and woe for my bonny hind beneath the Holland tree" "Oh were you up your sister's bower, your sister fair to see Oh you'll think no more on your bonny hind beneath the Holland tree" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ recorded by June Tabor on "Abyssynians" (1983) and by Tony Rose Holland may be a corruption of holly. Child #50 MJ
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!