Steeleye Span Album

Traditional

Chorus:
Awake, awake oh northern wind
Blow on my garden fair
Let my lover come to me
And tell me of his care
For now the winter it is past
Likewise the drops of rain
Come lie in the valley of lilies
Midst the roses of the plain

He took me to a garden fair
And there he laid me down
His left hand lay beneath my head
His right did me surround
His eyes were palms by water brooks
His fingers rods of gold
His head upon my breast did lie
His love did me enfold

Her hair is like a flock of goats
Across the mountain side
Her breasts are like the grapes upon
The vine where I shall bide
Her mouth is sweeter far than vine
And warm to my embrace
No mountain side can hide my love
No veil conceal her face

My lover's hand was on the door
My belly stirred within
My fingers wet with myrrh
I pulled the bolt to let him in
With my own hands I opened
But I found I was alone
My soul failed for my lover had
Withdrawn himself and gone

I'll get me to a mount of myrrh
And there I'll lay me down
For waters cannot quench my love
In floods it cannot drown
My love is clear as the sun
She's fair as the moon
Oh stir not up nor waken love
Lest it should come to soon

Chorus

Traditional

Sweep, chimney sweep, is the common cry I keep
If you can but rightly understand me
Sweep, chimney sweep, is the common cry I keep
If you can but rightly understand me

With my brush, broom and my rake
With my brush, broom and my rake
See what cleanly work I make
With my hoe, with my hoe
With my hoe and my hoe
And it's sweep, chimney sweep for me

Girls came up to my door I looked black as any Moor
I am constant and true as the day
Girls came up to my door I looked black as any Moor
I am constant and true as the day

With a bunch of ribbons gay
With a bunch of ribbons gay
Hanging down by my right knee
And there's no one, and there's no one
And there's no one and no one
And there's no one can call me on high

Arise girls, arise, wipe the sleep from off your eyes
Go and fetch to me some beer that I might swallow
Arise girls, arise, wipe the sleep from off your eyes
Go and fetch to me some beer that I might swallow

I can climb up to the top
I can climb up to the top
Without a ladder or a rope
And it's there you, and it's there you
And it's there you and there you
And it's there you will hear me ‘Hullo

Now here I do stand with my hoe all in my hand
Like some soldier that's on the sentry
Now here I do stand with my hoe all in my hand
Like some soldier that's on the sentry

I will work for a better sort
I will work for a better sort
And I'll kindly thank them for it
I will work, I will work
I will work and I'll work
And I'll work for none but gentry

Traditional

What did the wife of the soldier get
From the ancient city of Prague?
From Prague she got the linen shirt
It matched her skirt did the linen shirt
She got from the city of Prague

What did the wife of the soldier get
From Brussels, the Belgian town?
From Brussels she got the delicate lace
Oh! the charme and grace of the delicate lace
She got from the the Belgian town

What did the wife of the soldier get
From Paris, the city of light?
From Paris she got the silken dress
Oh! to possess the silken dress
She got from the city of light

What did the wife of the soldier get
From Libya's desert sands?
From Libya the little charm
Around her arm she wore the charm
She got from the desert sands

What did the wife of the soldier get
From Russia's distant steppes?
From Russia she got the widow's veil
And the end of the tale is the widow's veil
She got from the distant steppes

I am a youthful lady my troubles they are great
My tongue is scarcely able my grievance to relate
Since I have lost my true love that was ever dear to me
He's gone to plough the ocean on board the Victory

And many a pleasant evenings my love and I did meet
He clasped me round my slender waist and gave me kisses sweet
I gave to him my hand and heart and he vowed he'd marry me
But I did not know that my love would join the Victory

Chorus:
Mourn, England, mourn and complain
For the brave Lord Nelson's men
That died upon the main

My parents could not endure my love because he was so poor
Therefore he never did presume to come within the door
But had he been some noble lord born a man of high degree
They'd ne'er have sent the lad I love on board the Victory

There was thirteen on the press-gang they did my love surround
And four of that accursed gang went bleeding to the ground
My love was overpowered though he fought most manfully
They dragged him through the dark, wet streets towards the Victory

Chorus

Your ship she lay in harbour
Just ready to set sail
May Heaven be your guardian, love
Till you come home from sea

Just like an angel weeping
On the rock sighs every day
Awaiting for my own true love
Returning home from sea

It's not for gold that glitters
Nor silver that will shine
If I marry to the man I love
I'll be happy in my mind

Chorus

Here's success unto the Victory and crew of noble fame
And glory to the captain, Bold Nelson was his name
At the Battle of Trafalgar the Victory cleared the way
But my love was slain with Nelson upon that very day

Chorus

you gentlemen can gawk while I'm scrubbing the floors
and I'm scrubbing the floors while you're gawking
and maybe once you tipped me and it made you fell swell
in this ratty waterfront, in this ratty hotel
but you never know to whom you're talking
you never guess to whom you're talking
suddenly one night there's a scream in the night
and a yell: what the hell is that din
and you see me kind of grinning while I'm scrubbing
and you'll say: what's she got to grin?

and the ship, the black freighter
with the skull at the masthead
sails into the bay

then you gentlemen can say: hey girl, scrub the floors
make the beds, get up the stairs, earn you keep here
and you pass out the tips as you look out at the ships
but I'm counting up heads as I'm making up beds
'cause tonight none of you will sleep here
tonight none of you will sleep here
then on that night there's a banging in the night
and you yell: what the hell is that row
and you see me kind of staring out the window
and you'll say: what she got to stare at now?

and the ship, the black freighter
with fifty long cannons
opens fire on the town

then you gentlemen can wipe all the grins off your face
every building in the town is a flat one
the whole stinking place will be down to the ground
only this cheap hotel will be standing safe and sound
and you say: why do they spare that one?
you say: why do they spare that one?
then all night through with a noise and to-do
you'll wonder who's the person lives up there
and you see me stepping out into the morning
looking nice with a ribbon in my hair

and the ship, the black freighter
runs a flag up her masthead
and cheer rings the air

then just before noon there'll be hundreds of men
coming up off that ghostly freighter
and they're moving in the shadows where no-one can see
and they're chaining up the people and they're bringing them to me
asking me: kill them now or later?
asking me: kill them now or later?
noon on the clock and so still on the dock
you could hear a foghorn miles away
in the quiet of death I'll say: kill 'em now
and they'll pile up the bodies and I'll say: hoopla!

and the ship, the black freighter
sails away out to sea
and on it is me

Traditional

Some rival has stolen my true love away
So I in old England no longer can stay
I will swim the wide ocean around my fair breast
To find out my true love, the one I love the best

And when I have found out my joy and delight
I will welcome him kindly by day and by night
For the bells shall be ringing and the drums make a noise
For to welcome my true love with ten thousand joys

Here's a health to all lovers that are loyal and just
Here's confusion to the rival that lives in distrust
For it's I'll be as constant as a true turtle dove
And it's never will I prove false to my love

(repeat first verse)

Traditional

Step in young man I know your face
It's nothing in your favour
A little time I'll give to you
Six months unto hard labour

At six o'clock the screw comes in
A bunch of keys all in his hand
Step up my lads, step up in time
And tread the wheel till breakfast time

And at eight o'clock the skilly comes in
It's sometimes thick and it's sometimes thin
And never a word dare we all say
Or it's bread and water all next day

At half past eight the bell do ring
And off to the chapel boys we must swing
Down on our bended knees we fall
The Lord have mercy on us all

And at nine o'clock the jangle ring
And all on the trap boys we must spring
Step up my lads, step up in time
The wheel's to tread and the corn's to grind

Now Saturday's come I am sorry to say
For Sunday is starvation day
Our hob-nail boots and our tin mugs too
They are not shined and they will not do

When six long months are gone and past
Then I'll return to my bonny, bonny lass
I'll leave the turnkeys all behind
The wheel to tread and the corn to grind

Traditional

As I strolled out one May morning
One May morning so early
I overtook a handsome maid
And, my goodness, she was early

Her shoes were black and her stockings were white
And her buckles they shone like silver
She had a dark and rolling eye
And her hair hung over her shoulder

‘How old are you my fair pretty maid
How old are you my honey?
She answered me so cheerfully
‘Well, I'm seventeen come Sunday

‘Could you love me my fair pretty maid
Could you love me my honey?
She answered me so tearfully
‘Oh, I can't because of Mummy

‘But if you come to my Mummy's house
When the moon is shining brightly
‘Oh, I'll come down and let you in
‘And my Mummy shall not hear me

So he went to her Mummy's house
When the moon was brightly shining
And she came down and she let him in
And she rolled in his arms till the morning

She says ‘Kind sir, will you marry me?
I says ‘Oh no, my honey
For the fife and drum is my delight
And I'm happy in the army