The Tasks- John Hext (Dev) c. 1890 Baring-Gould MS
[Baring-Gould MSS., CXXVIII(I); Bronson 33; (B) coinciding with (A) published text (Songs of the west) except in the concluding stanzas. This form, almost identical, appears in Baring-Gould, Sheppard and Bussell, Songs of the West, ed. 1905, p.96, as from P. Symonds, Jacobstow, John Hext, and James Dyer of Mawgan.
R. Matteson 2018]
The Tasks." Sung by John Hext, Post Bridge, Devon in October 1890. Noted by F.W. Bussell. The original copy is in straight 6/8 time throughout.
Thou must buy me my lady, a cambrick shirt
Whilst every grove rings with a merry antine
And stitch it without any needle work
O and then thou shalt be a true love of mine.
And thou must wash it in yonder well,
Whilst every grove &c.
Where never a drop of water in fell,
O and then, &c.
And thou must hang it upon a white thorn,
Whilst every, &c.
That never has blossomed since Adam was born,
O and then, &c.
And when that these tasks are finished & done
Whilst every, &c.
I'll take thee & marry thee under the sun
O and then, &c.
Or ever I do these two and three
Whilst every, &c.
I will set of tasks as many to thee
O and then shall I be a true love of thine.
Thou must buy for me an acre of land
Whilst every, &c.
Between the salt ocean & the yellow sand,
O and then, &c.
Thou must plough it o'er with a horse's horn
Whilst every, &c.
And sow it over with one pepper corn
O and then, &c
O tell her to bleach it on yonder grass
Whilst every, &c.
Where never a foot or a hoof did pass
[O] and then, &c.
O tell him to thrash it in yonder barn
Whilst every, &c.
That hangs to the sky by a thread of yarn,
&c.