Summary
Lady Margaret travels to the woods after sewing in her bower. There she encounters a young man, and they argue. He takes her by the hand and does not ask her leave. She asks him his name, but he is gone. She returns home, where she is observed to be pregnant, and advised on how to find herbs to abort the pregnancy. She returns to the woods, where she meets with her lover again. He tells her his name is Tam Lin, and he is a captive of the faeries. He instructs her how to rescue him, which she does, much to the anger of the Queen of Faries.
Tam Lin
- Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret, sewing of her seam
And she's all dressed in black
When a thought comes to her head she'd run into the wood
Pick flowers to flower her hat, me boys
Pick flowers to flower her hat - So she's hoisted up her petticoats a bit above her knee
And so nimbly she'd run o'er the plain
And when she's come to the merry green wood
She's pulled them branches down, down
She's pulled them branches down - And suddenly she spied a fine young man
Stood underneath the tree
Saying, "How dare you pull them branches down
Without the leave of me, lady,
Without the leave of me." - She says "This little wood it is me very own
Me father give it me.
And I can pull these branches down
Without the leave of thee, young man,
Without the leave of thee." - He's taken her by the lily-white hand
And by the grass-green sleeve
And he's laid her down at the foot of a bush
He's never once asked her leave, me boys,
He's never once asked her leave - And when it was done she has turned herself about
To ask her true-love's name
But she nothing heard and nothing saw
And all the woods grew dim, me boys,
And all the woods grew dim - There's four and twenty ladies all in the court
Grown red as any rose
Excepting for young Margaret
And green as glass she goes , any grass,
Yes green as glass she goes. - Outten spoke the first serving girl,
She lifted her head and smiled
"I think me lady's loved too long
And now she goes with child, me dears
Now she goes with child." - And outten spoke the second serving girl
"Oh ever and alas," Said she
"I think I know a herb in the merry green wood
That'll twine the babe from thee, Lady
That'll twine the babe from thee." - Lady Margaret, she picked up her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
She's away to the merry green wood
As fast as she can tear, me boys
As fast as she can tear. - She hadn't pulled a herb in that merry green wood
A herb but barely one
When by her stood young Tam Lin
Saying, "Margaret, leave it alone, me love,
Margaret, leave it alone." - "Oh no how can you pull that bitter little herb
The herb that grows so grey
To take away that sweet babe's life
We got in our play, me love,
That we got in our play?" - "Oh tell me the truth, young Tam Lin," she says
"If an earthly man you be."
"I'll tell you no lies, Lady Margeret" he says
I was christened the same as thee, me dear
I was christened the same as thee." - "But as I rode out one cold and bitter day
From off me horse I fell
And the Queen Elfland she took me
In yonder green hill to dwell, me dear,
In yonder green hill to dwell." - "But this night it is the Hallow-een
When the Elven Court must ride
And if you would your true love win
By the old mill-bridge you must bide, me dear
By the old mill bridge you must bide." - "And first will come the black horse and then come by the
brown
And then race by the white
But you'll hold me fast and fear me not
And I will not you afright, me love
I will not you afright." - "And then they will change me all in your arms
Into many a beast sae wild
But you'll hold me fast and fear me not
I'm the father of your child, you know
You know that I'm the father of your child." - So Margeret has taken up her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's away to the old mill-bridge
As fast as she can tear, me boys,
As fast as she can tear - And at the dead hour of the night
She heard the harness ring
And oh me boys it chilled her heart
More than any mortal thing, it did
More than any mortal thing. - And first come by the black horse and then come by the
brown
And then race by the white
And she held it fast and feared it not
And it did not her afright, me boys,
It did not her afright. - The thunder rolled across the sky
And the stars they blazed like day
And the Queen of Elfland gave a thrilling cry,
"Oh young Tam Lin's away, away
Oh young Tam Lin's away." - And then they have changed him all in her arms
To a lion that roared so wild
But she held it fast and feared it not
It was the father of her child, she knew
It was father of her child. - And then they have changed him all in her arms
Into a loathesome snake
But she held it fast and feared it not
It was one of God's own make, she knew
It was one of God's own make. - And then they have changed him all in her arms
To a red hot bar of iron
But she held it fast and feared it not
It did to her no harm, me boys
It did to her no harm. - And at last they have changed him all in her arms
It was to a naked man
And she's flung her mantle over him,
Crying, "Me love I've won, I've won"
Oh crying, "Me love I've won." - And outten spoke the Queen of Elfenland
From the bush wherein she stood
"I should have tore out your eyes Tam Lin
And put in two eyes of wood, of wood
Put in two eyes of wood."
Version Notes
Added to site: October 1998