Must I be bound and you go free,
Must I love one who never loved me,
Why should I act such a childish part
To follow a lad who will break my heart ?
The first thing that my lad gave me
It was a cap well lined with lead,
And the longer that I wore that cap
It grew the heavier on my head.
And next he bought me a mantle to wear,
Lined with sorrow and stitched with care,
And the drink he gave me was bitter gall,
And the blows he gave me were worse than all.
The third thing that my lad gave me
It was a belt with colours three,
The first was shame, the next was sorrow,
And the last of all, sad misery.
But I shall climb a higher tree,
And I shall find a richer nest,
And I'll come down and shall not fall,
And marry a lad I may love best.