Lady Margot and Love Henry- Johnson (VA) 1933 Niles
[From The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles; 1961. There no reason that this couldn't be traditional, and arranged some by Niles.
R .Matteson 2014]
Lady Margot and Love Henry- As sung by Pete Johnson at the White Top Festival, Marion, VA; August, 1933, collected by Niles.
1. Lady Margot sat in her bowing room,
Afore she went to bed.
Oh, she heard the sound of a musical horn,
And hit made her body sad,
Hit made her body sad.
2. Lady Margot stood in her bowing door,
In her bowing door stood she,
And when she heard his bridle ring,
Hit made her full merry.
(repeat last line of each verse, omitting 1st syllable when not needed)
3. "Light down, light down, Love Henry,
And spend the night with me,
For I have a bed, and a very fine bed,
And I'll share it up with thee."
4. "I can't not light, I will not light,
And pass the night with thee,
For they be a gal in the merry, merry lea,
And I love her full many times more."
5. He bended over the garden wall,
He gave her kisses three,
But with the penknife she held in her hand
She stabbed him heartily.
6. "Woe be, woe be, my love," cried he,
"To all your family,
For don't you see my own heart's blood
Come twinklin' down at my knee?"
7, "I'll have to ride east, I'll have to ride west,
I'll ride o'er land and sea,
To find some curin' doctor,
To come and cure me."
8. "You needn't ride east, you needn't ride west,
You dasn't ride under the sun,
For there's ne'er a doctor in all Scotland
To cure what Margot's done."
9. She called her tender maidens,
She bade them for her stand,
Said: "All the gowns I ever wear
Shall be at your command."
10. One taken him by the golden hair,
One taken him by the feet,
One taken him by the lily-white hand,
And she by the middle so neat.
11. They drugged him to that doleful well,
They drapped him with a sound,
"Lie there, lie there, Love Henry,
Where you will ne'er be found."
12. Up spake a bird and a very fine bird,
With a nest in the green valley,
"Ah, woe betide thee, cruel girl,
He loved no one but thee."
13. "Light down, light down, my fine
pretty bird,
And peck wheat oft my knee,
And your cage shall be made of beaten gold
Instead of the willow tree."
14. "I can't not light, I will not light,
And peck wheat off your knee,
For you could kill a bird as well
As you killed Love Henry."
15. "I wish I had my little bow,
My dart and tuneful string,
I'd shoot you through your lyin' heart
As you do sit and sing."
16. "But you hain't got your little bow
To shoot me from this tree.
So I will fly the King's highway
And tell this mean story."