Lady Margaret Lyrics

Lady Margaret lyrics

Sweet William rose one morning bright 
And dressed himself in blue

"Come tell to me the long lost love 
Between Lady Margaret and
you" 

"I know no harm of Lady Margaret," said he

"And I hope she knows none of me 
But tomorrow morning before eight
o'clock 
Lady Margaret my bride shall be" 

As Lady Margaret was
in her chamber high 
A-combing up her hair 
She spied sweet William and
his bride 
As they to the church drew near 

She threw down her ivory
comb 
And tossed back her hair 
And from the room a fair lady came

That was seen in there no more 

The day being gone and the night
being come 
When most men were asleep 
Sweet William spied Lady
Margaret's ghost 
A-standing at his bed feet 

"How do you like
your bed?" she said 
"And how do you like your sheet? 
And how
do you like the fair lady 
That lies in your arms asleep?"


"Very well do I like my bed," said he 
"Very well do
I like my sheet 
But better do I like the fair lady 
That is standing at
my bed feet" 

The night being gone and the day being come 
When
most men were awake 
Sweet William said he was troubled in his head 
From
a dream he had last night 

He called his weary waiting maids 
By one,
by two, by three 
And last of all, with his bride's consent 
Lady
Margaret he went to see 

He went unto the parlor door 
He knocked
until he made things ring 
But none was so ready as her own dear brother

To arise and let him in 

"Is Lady Margaret in the parlor?"
said he 
"Or is she in the hall 
Or is she in her chamber high

Among the gay ladies all?" 

"Lady Margaret is not in the
parlor," said he 
"She is neither in the hall 
She is in her
coffin 
And a-lying by the wall" 

"Tear down, tear down,
those milk white sheets 
They are made of silk so fine 
That I may kiss
Lady Margaret's cheek 
For ofttimes she has kissed mine" 

The
first that he kissed was her rosy cheek 
The next was her dimpled chin

The last of all was her clay-cold lips 
That pierced his heart within


"Tear down, tear down those milk white sheets 
They are made of
silk so fine 
Today they hang around Lady Margaret's corpse 
And tomorrow
they will hang around mine" 

Lady Margaret died of pure, pure love

Sweet William died of sorrow 
They are buried in one burying ground

Both side and side together 

Out of her grave grew a red rose

And out of his a briar 
They grew in a twining true lover's knot 
The
rose and the green briar