Lyrics Bonny May - June Tabor
Bonny
May
a-shepherding
has
gone
To
call
the
sheep
to
the
fold
And
as
she
sang,
her
bonny
voice
it
rang
Right
over
the
tops
of
the
downs,
downs,
Right
over
the
tops
of
the
downs.
There
came
a
troop
of
gentlemen
As
they
were
riding
by
And
one
of
them
has
lighted
down
And
he′s
asked
of
her
the
way,
way,
And
he's
asked
of
her
the
way.
"Ride
on,
ride
on,
you
rank
riders
Your
steeds
are
stout
and
strong,
For
it′s
out
of
the
fold
I
will
not
go
For
fear
you
do
me
wrong,
wrong,
For
fear
you
do
me
wrong."
Now
he's
taken
her
by
the
middle
jimp
And
by
the
green
gown
sleeve,
And
there
he's
had
his
will
of
her
And
he′s
asked
of
her
no
leave,
leave,
And
he′s
asked
of
her
no
leave.
Now
he's
mounted
on
his
berry
brown
steed,
He
soon
o′erta'en
his
men
And
one
and
all
cried
out
to
him,
"Oh,
master,
you
tarried
long,
long,
Oh,
master,
you
tarried
long."
"Oh,
I′ve
ridden
east
and
I've
ridden
east,
And
I′ve
ridden
o'er
the
downs,
But
the
bonniest
lass
that
ever
I
saw
She
was
calling
her
sheep
to
the
fold,
fold."
She's
taken
the
milk
pail
on
her
head
And
she′s
gone
lingering
home.
And
all
her
father
said
to
her
Was,
"Daughter,
you
tarried
long,
long,
Oh,
daughter,
you
tarried
long."
"Oh,
woe
betide
your
shepherd,
father,
He
takes
no
care
of
the
sheep,
For
he′s
builded
the
fold
at
the
back
of
the
down
And
the
fox
has
frightened
me,
me,
And
the
fox
has
frightened
me."
"Oh,
there
came
a
fox
to
the
fold
door
With
twinkling
eye
so
bold,
And
ere
he'd
taken
the
lamb
that
he
did
Oh,
I′d
rather
he'd
taken
them
all,
all."
Now
twenty
weeks
were
gone
and
past,
Twenty
weeks
and
three,
And
the
lassie
began
to
fret
and
to
frown
And
to
long
for
the
twinkling
eye,
bright
eye,
And
to
long
for
the
twinkling
eye.
Now
it
fell
on
a
day,
on
a
bonnie
summer′s
day
That
she
walked
out
alone.
That
self-same
troop
of
gentlemen
Come
a-riding
over
the
down,
down,
Come
a-riding
over
the
down.
"Who
got
the
babe
with
thee,
Bonny
May,
Who
got
the
babe
in
thy
arms?"
For
shame,
she
blushed,
and
aye,
she
said,
"Oh,
I've
a
good
man
of
my
own,
own."
"You
lie,
you
lie,
you
Bonny,
Bonny
May,
So
loud
I
hear
you
lie.
Remember
the
misty
murky
night
I
lay
in
the
fold
with
thee,
thee,
I
lay
in
the
fold
with
thee.
Now
he′s
mounted
off
his
berry
brown
steed,
He's
sat
the
fair
May
on.
"Go
call
out
your
kye,
father,
yourself,
She'll
ne′er
call
them
again,
again,
She′ll
ne'er
call
them
again."
Oh,
he′s
Lord
of
twenty
plough
of
land,
Twenty
plough
and
three,
And
he's
taken
away
the
bonniest
lass
In
all
the
South
country,
country,
In
all
the
South
country.
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