The Barkshire Tragedy
18th Century
Child Ballad 10
A varmer he lived in the West Countree,
With a hey down, bow down
A varmer he lived in the West Countree,
And he had daughters, one, two and three.
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
As they were walking by the river's brim,
With a hey down, bow down
As they were walking by the river's brim,
The eldest push'd the youngest in,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
O sister, O sister, pray gie me thy hand,
With a hey down, bow down
O sister, O sister, pray gie me thy hand
And I'll gie thee both house and land,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
I'll neither, I'll neither gie thee hand nor glove
With a hey down, bow down
I'll neither, I'll neither gie thee hand nor glove
Unless thou'lt gie me thy own true love,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
So down she sank and away she swam,
With a hey down, bow down
So down she sank and away she swam,
Until she came to the miller's dam,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
O vather, vather, here swims a swan,
With a hey down, bow down
O vather, vather, here swims a swan,
Very much like a drownded gentlewoman
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
The miller he fot his pole and hook
With a hey down, bow down
The miller he fot his pole and hook
And he fished the fair maid out of the brook,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
O miller, I'll gie thee guineas then,
With a hey down, bow down
O miller, I'll gie thee guineas then,
If thoul't fetch me back to my father again.
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
The miller he took her guineas ten,
With a hey down, bow down
The miller he took her guineas ten,
And he pushed the fair maid in agen,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
But the Crowner he came and the Justice too,
With a hey down, bow down
But the Crowner he came and the Justice too,
With a hue and a cry and a hullabaloo,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
They hanged the miller beside his own gate,
With a hey down, bow down
They hanged the miller beside his own gate,
For drowning the varmer's daughter Kate,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
The sister she fled beyond the seas,
With a hey down, bow down
The sister she fled beyond the seas,
And died an old maid among black savagees,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
So I've ended my tale of the West Countree,
With a hey down, bow down
So I've ended my tale of the West Countree,
And they calls it the Barkshire Tragedee,
And I'll be true to my love
If my love'll be true to me.
DayPoems Poem No. 2493
<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/poems/2493.html">The Barkshire Tragedy by Anonymous</a>
The DayPoems Poetry Collection, www.daypoems.net
Timothy Bovee, editor
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