One night as I lay on my bed A dreadful draught of sleep I drew For I dreamed as all the trees turned brown That I saw the d**h of young Andrew For the moon shone bright and it give good light Welcome she rise my honey my sweet For seven long years you have been gone I thought chance was we'd never more meet And he's ta'en her all in his arms And there they kissed both cheek and chin And they loved sweet and they loved long Before that one was two again And O my love and sweet my love And dear my love if you love me Go fetch me some of your father's gold The time has come that we was away Now she's run down to her father's hall For well she knew where his good gold lay So swiftly she's returned again She's counted it out all down by his knee For he's ta'en her by the lily-white hand And he's led her up the hill so high But oh the smiles they fell from his mouth As dark and grim there grew his eye Take off take off your velvet gown Deliver it here over to me For I've a love in a far far land That I love far far more than thee Take off take off your silken robe Deliver it here over to me For I've a love in a far far land And I've been too long gone from she But O my love and sweet my love And love Andrew that lay with me You loved me sweet and you loved me long So why do you now love betray But he's drawn out his good long sword And he's placed it twixt her nose and her chin Cries You may die on the point of this Or you may run naked home again And oh the bitter tears down fall As down her clothes fell at his feet And her body lately so deep in love A hiding place from shame did seek
And there she's stood at her father's door She's naked as the day she's born Oh rise rise and let me in For the night winds whip me to the bone But up and spoke her own father All where he lay in his high bedroom Oh that thief and who*e is at my door Let no-one rise and let her in But when he's waked in the bright morning And all the birds began to sing He's spied his daughter lying dead She's dead and cold as any stone And oh the bitter tears down fall And seven sons stood all around Crying Why's our sister lying dead And why did you not let her in And they have sworn a solemn oath And they have sworn by earth and sky That they would take this young Andrew That he would wish for the day he'd die And up they rose these seven brothers And they chased him deep into Wales There they caught him by such a wile That now he must tell no more such tales For there he stood this young Andrew Like any fox they ringed him round Crying We've not come for our father But for the sister you done down Two of them they broke his legs And two of them broke his collar bone And two of them broke his two arms They leaned him back all against a stone And up and rose the eldest one Saying See the pity we show thee For you ne'er shed our sister's blood So we'll not do that unto thee And they took up their father's gold And they laid it out in young Andrew's sight Saying, Guard this well ye young Andrew Defend it well from the wolves tonight And they have left this young Andrew As naked as the day he's born Saying Men will strip you to the skin But the wolves will strip you to the bone