Trad. Scottish/English border ballad with probable Scandinavian origins. I adapted this version from one published by Francis Child in the 1890s. I’ll add dry stems. Lyrics:
KING HENRY

Let never a man a wooing wend
That lacks these things three:
a purse of gold, an open heart,
A store of charity.
As this I speak of King Henry
For he lay all alone,
And he’s taken him to a haunted house
Seven miles from the town.
*
He chased the deer now him before
And the roe down by the den,
Till the fattest buck in all the flock
King Henry he has slain.
Oh he has gone back to the house
To make him beerly cheer
When in there came a grisly ghost
Stamping on the floor.
*
Her head hit the roof-tree of the house
Her middle you could not span
He’s thrown to her his mantle gay
Say’s “Lady cover your shame”.
Her teeth were like the tether stakes
Her nose like club or mell
And nothing she appeared to be
But a fiend let loose from hell.
*
[Instrumental]
*
Some meat, some meat, you King Henry
Some meat you give to me
O you do kill your berry-brown steed
And bring him here to me.
And when he slew his berry-brown steed
It made his heart full sore
For she’s eaten him up both skin and bone
Left nothing but hide and hair.
*
More meat, more meat, you King Henry
More meat you give to me
Oh you do kill your good greyhounds
And bring them here to me.
And when he slew his good greyhounds
It made his heart full sore
For she’s eaten ‘em up both skin and bone
Left nothing but hide and hair.
*
Some drink, some drink now King Henry
Some drink you bring to me
Oh you sew up your horse’s hide
And bring in a drink to me.
So he’s sewed up the bloody hide
A puncheon o’ wine poured in
And she drank it down all in one draught
Left never a drop therein.
*
[Instrumental]
*
A bed, a bed, now King Henry
A bed you make for me
You must pull the heather green
And make a bed for me.
Oh pulled has he the heather green
And made for her a bed
And up has taken his gay mantle
And over it has he spread.
*
Take off your clothes now King Henry
And lay down by my side
Now swear, now swear you King Henry
To take me for your bride.
Oh God forbid says King Henry
That ever the like betide
That ever a fiend that was in hell
Should stretch down by my side …
*
[Instrumental]
*
When the night was gone and the morning come
And the sun shone through the hall
The fairest lady that e’er was seen
Lay between him and the wall.
I’ve met with many a gentle knight
That’s given me such a fill
But never before with a courteous knight
That gave me all my will.
*

Recommended by: Zep Hurme, sLow_starteR, SackJo22, Stefan Kartenberg (JeffSpeed68)

"King Henry"
by Javolenus

2012 - Licensed under
Creative Commons
Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)

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