The lady sits at her own front door As straight as a willow wand And by there come a lusty smith With his hammer in his hand
Saying bide lady bide For there's a nowhere you can hide For the lusty smith will be your love And he will lay your pride.
Why do you sit there lady fair All in your robes of red I'll come back tomorrow And have you in me bed
Saying. . .
Away away you coal black smith Would you do me this wrong For to have me maiden head That I have kept so long I'd rather I was dead and cold And me body in the grave Than a lusty, dusty, coal black smith Me maiden head should have
Saying. . .
So the lady, she curled up her hand And swore upon the mold That he'd not have her maiden head For all of a pot of gold. But the blacksmith he curled up his hand And swore upon the mast That he would have her maiden head For the half of that or less
Saying. . .
So the lady she turned into a dove And flew up in the air But he became an old cock pigeon And they flew pair and pair So the lady she turned into a mare As dark as night was black But he became a golden saddle And climbed upon to her back
Saying . . .
So the lady she turned into a hare And ran all over the plane But he became a greyhound dog And ran her down again So the lady she turned into a fly And fluttered in the air But he became a hairy spider And dragged her in his lair
Saying. . .
So the lady she turned into a sheep Grazing upon the common But he became a horny ram And soon he was upon her. So she turned into a full dress ship And sailed over the sea But he became a bold captain And aboard of her went he
Saying . . .
So the lady she turned into a cloud Floating in the air But he became a lightning flash And zipped right into her So she turned into a mulberry tree A mulberry tree in the wood But he came forth as the morning dew And sprinkled her where she stood.
Saying. . .
So the lady she ran into the bedroom And changed into a bed But he became a green coverlet And he gained her maidenhead And once she woke he took her so And still he bad her bide For the lusty smith became her love For all of her mighty pride.