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Greensleeves

 
Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
You treat me so discourtesly
When I have loved you so long,
delighting in thy company.

Chorus:
Green Sleeves, you are all my joy.
Green Sleeves, you are all my life.
Green Sleeves, you're my heart of gold,
and who but my lady of green sleeves.

Green sleeves and tartan ties
mark my true love where she lies.
I'll be at her or she rise,
My fiddle and I thegither. (chorus)

Be it by the chrystal burn,
be it by the mill-white thorn,
I shall rouse her in the morn,
my fiddle and I thegither. (chorus)

Thy vows you've broken, like my heart.
Oh, why didst you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart,
but my heart remains in captivity. (chorus)

I have been ready at thy hand,
to grant whatever thou wouldst crave.
I have both wagered life and land,
thy love and good will for to have. (chorus)

I bought thee 2kerchers to thy head,
that were wrought fine and gallantly.
I kept them both at board and bed,
which coast my purse well favouredly. (chorus)

I bought thee petticoats of the best.
The cloth so fine as fine might be.
I gave thee jewels for thy chest,
and all this cost I spent on thee. (chorus)

Thy smock of silk both fair and white,
with gold embroidered gorgeously.
Thy petticoat of sendall white,
and this I bought thee gladly. (chorus)

Thy girdle of gold so red,
with pearls bedecked sumptously.
The like no other lasses had,
and yet you do not love me! (chorus)

Thy garters fringed with the gold,
and silver aglets hanging by;
which made thee blithe for to behold,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

Thy gown as of the grassy green.
Thy sleeves of satin handing by,
which made thee be our Harvest Queen,
and yet thou wouldest not love me. (chorus)

Thy purse, and eke thy gay gilt knives.
Thy pin-case, gallant to the eye.
No better wore the burgess' wives,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

My gayest gelding thee I gave,
To ride wherever liked thee;
No lady ever was so brave,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

My men were clothed all in green,
and they did ever wait on thee.
All this was gallant to be seen,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

They set thee up, they took thee down;
they served thee with humility;
thy foot might not once touch the ground,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

For every morning, when thou rose,
I sent thee dainties, orderly,
to cheer thy stomach from all woes,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
but still thou hadst it readily;
thy music still to play & sing,
and yet thou wouldst not love me! (chorus)

And who did pay for all this gear,
that thou didst spend when pleased thee?
Even I that am rejected here,
and thou disdainst to love me! (chorus)

If thou intend thus to disdain,
it does the more enrapture me,
and even so, I still remain,
a lover in captivity. (chorus)

Well! I will pray to God on high,
that thou my constancy mayst see,
and that, yet once before I die,
thou wilt vouchsafe to love me! (chorus)

Green Sleeves - now farewell, adieu.
God I pray to prosper thee,
for I am still thy lover true;
come once again and love me. (chorus)