Martin Carthy - Reynard The Fox lyrics

Most gentlemen take great delight In a-hunting bold Reynard the Fox Twas by Gaffer Ghylls I did lie Where I lived upon fat geese and ducks By Gaffer Ghylls I did lie Not thinking how soon I should die I was chased by a pack of fresh hounds That caused me from my country to fly Twas by Gaffer Ghylls I did lie And I lived at a plentiful rate Young lambs I plucked on their bones And the farmers 'gan for me to hate Lord Jones for the king's hounds did send Tommy Bosun he swore I should die And I left three brothers behind me That loves young lambs far better than I It's forty long miles I rambled And I done it in three hours space It made my old coat stand on end As the hounds followed on me apace For it's oftentimes I've been pursued By hounds that would run like a cow But in the whole course of my lifetime Never had such a breathing till now By Simon Sturt's I did ramble Where the gamekeeper shot through my thigh Oh pardon dear huntsmen and hounds But for this fatal wound I must die My old coat it lay close to my back To hear how the hounds they did holler My sweat dropped like dew in the morning For to hear how the huntsmen did holler It was in Stony Fields where they k**ed me Oh the bloodthirsty hounds how they followed They tore my old jacket to pieces Good Lord how the hounds they did holler And now that bold Reynard is ended To the tavern they'll go down to dine They'll dip my fore-paw in a bumper And they'll drink their lord's health in good wine