Tamlin

 Em               G
Lady margaret, lady margaret
 D                Em
Was sowing at the seam
G       D           A
She's all dressed in black
     G                             Em             Bm
And a thought came in her head to roam in the woods
          A          Em                 G
To pull flowers to flower her hat, my boys
Bm            A                Bm
To pull flowers to flower her hat
            Em            G         D         Em
So she hoisted up her petticoats a bit above the knee
     G           D               A
And so nimbly she ran over the ground
     G                    Em          Bm
And when she came to the merrygreen woods
       A           Em                G     Bm
She pulled those branches down, my boys
A                          Bm
She pulled those branches down
 Em           G              D       Em
Suddenly she spied a fine young man
           G D     A
He's standing by a tree
      G                Em                     Bm
He says how dare you pull those branches down?
        A       Em         G     Bm
Without the leave of me, my dear
A                     Bm
Without the leave of me
   Em              G            D       Em
Well she says this little wood it is my very own
G         D           A
My father gave it to me
G              Em        Bm      A     Em        G        Bm
I can pull these branches down without the leave of thee, young man
A                        Bm
Oh without the leave of thee
Em         G             D         Em
And he took her by the milk-white hand
         G    D        A
And by the grass-green sleeve
    G          Em                      Bm
He pulled her down at the foot of the bush
       A              Em            G          Bm
He never once asked her leave, my boys
 A                          Bm
Oh he never once asked her leave
 Em        G           D           Em
And when it was done she twisted about
  G      D   G        A
To ask her true love's name
G            Em
But she nothing saw
               Bm
She nothing heard
A          Em        G    Bm
And all the woods grew dim
A                  Bm
And all the woods grew dim
G   A   G   A   Bm
Em                 G          D           Em
There's four and twenty ladies all in the land
G                 D            A
And they're all playing a chess
G                          Bm
Except it was the lady margaret
          A             Em           G     Bm
And she's green as any glass, my boys
A                       Bm
Oh she's green as any glass
A        Em           G      D          Em
And these four-and-twenty ladies all in the land
G          D        A
Grow as red any rose
G        A             Em Bm       A       Em        G
Except the lady margaret she's pale and wan, my boys
        Bm           A         Bm
Oh pale and wan she goes
Em         G            D       Em
Up then spoke the little serving girl
    G      D               A
She lifted her hand and smiled
        G             A     Em          Bm
She said i think my lady's loved too long
      A     Em                  G     Bm
And now she goes with child, my dears
        A                  Bm
Oh and now she goes with child
Em       G          D         Em
Up then spoke the second serving girl
G            D        A
Oh ever and alas says she
G               A                 Em          Bm
But i think i know a herb in the merry green wood
           A        Em         G      Bm
That'll twine thy baby from thee
       A            Bm
It'll rip off thy babe from thee
    Em           G          D         Em
So lady margaret she got herself a comb
          G    D            A
She made haste to comb her hair
      G              Em                Bm
And then she's away to the merry green woods
     A             Em     G    Bm
As fast as she can tear, my boys
   A           Bm
As fast as she can tear
  Em             G          D             Em
And she hadn't pulled in the merry green woods
 G     D             A
A herb that barely won
G                Em              Bm
When by her stands the young tamlin
        A       Em      G       Bm
He says margaret leave it alone
    A                 Bm
Oh margaret leave it alone
Em         G           D              Em
Why do you pull that bitter little herb
G        D        A
That herb that grows so grey
G                Em        Bm      A     Em        G          Bm
For to destroy that fine young baby that we got in our play, my dear
        A               Bm
Oh that we got in our play
 Em               G           D         Em
Well come tell me now young tamling says she
G          D          A
If an earthly man you be
G               Em                Bm
I tell you no lies, says young tamlin
A         Em        G       Bm
I was christened as good as thee
          A                   Bm
I was christened as good as thee
  Em           G               D             Em
But as i rode a-hunting on a bitter bitter night
G            D         A
It was from my horse i fell
G                  Em            Bm
And the queen of elvin she caught me
      A     Em      G       Bm
Into yonder green hill to dwell
        A                    Bm
Oh into yonder green hill to dwell
Em               G          D   Em
But tonight is halloween lady
     G       D         A
The elvin caught will ride
G          Em                    Bm
And if you would your true love win
   A       Em       G              Bm
By the millbridge you must hide, my dears
     A                       Bm
By the millbridge you must hide
Em                       G
And first will run the black horse
D                G
Then will the brown
G     D               A
And then will run the white
G              Em                 Bm
You hold him fast, you fear him not
A         Em                   G           Bm
For he's the father of your child, my love
A                     Bm
He's the father of your child
Em          G               D      Em
They'll turn me on in your arms lady
 G        D          A
Into many a beasts so wild
G                 Em                   Bm
But you hold them fast, you fear no ill
A       Em                      G        Bm
It's the father of your child, my love
    A                      Bm
It's the father of your child

G  Em  Bm  x2

Em        G             D             Em
So lady margaret, she gets herself a comb
G            D             A
She made haste to comb her hair
G              Em                  Bm
Then she's away to the old millbrdige
A          Em         G         Bm
As fast as she could tear, my boys
A                    Bm
As fast as she could tear
Em                     G          D     Em       G    D      A
And about the dead hour of the night she heard the bridles ring
G         Em              Bm        A      Em           G      Bm
Oh my boys, she had her heart more than any earthly thing it did
A                       Bm
More than any earthly thing
Em                 G         D
And first run the black horse
       Em
Then the brown
G         D             A
And then raced by the white
     G                 Em             Bm
Well she held it fast, she feared it not
               A      Em     G   Bm
For it's the father of her child
          A                 Bm
It's the father of her child
      Em       G     D       Em      G
The thunderoll across the sky
      D      A                 G
The stars blazed bright as day
           Em             Bm            A
The queen of elvin gave a thrilling cry
Em              G      Bm
Tamlin's away brave boys
A        Bm
Brave tamlin's away
Em         G                D         Em
The very first thing they turned him into
      G     D        A      G
Is a lion that runs so wild
                    Em                Bm
But she held him fast, she feared him not
           A             Em          G     Bm
He's the father of her child, my boys
        A                  Bm
He's the father of her child
        Em             G     D          Em
And the very next thing they turned him into
G         D         A
It was a loathsome snake
G             Em             Bm
He says hold me fast, fear me not
              A        Em    G        Bm
For i'm one of god's own make, my love
        A                Bm
Oh i'm one of god's own make
    Em         G          D            Em    G
And again they changed him all in her arms
      D             A
To a red-hot bar of iron
G                Em                Bm
But she held it fast, she feared it not
A          Em   G     Bm
It did to her no harm
   A              Bm
It did to her no harm
      Em         G        D              Em
And the very last thing they changed him into
G          D        A
Was like any naked man
G              Em            Bm
She flung her mantle over him
A          Em    G             Bm
She cried my love i've won i've won
    A          Bm
She cried my love i've won
Em       G          D                   Em    G
But the queen of elvin she called for a bush
 D             A
She's red as any blood
G                   Em               Bm
I should have torn out your eyes, tamlin
A         Em         G      Bm
And put in two eyes of wood
A                         Bm
And put in two eyes of wood