Artist : Current 93
Title : 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