Tam Lin Balladry

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Tam Lin: Anne Briggs

Source: Anne Briggs

album: Anne Briggs: A Collection

Title: Young Tambling

Site reference number: 26

Summary

Lady Margaret travels to the merry green wood in search of flowers, where a handsome young man questions her presence. When she states she ahs the right to be there, he takes her without her leave. When she returns home, a young girl observes that Margaret appears to be pregnant, and another young girl advises her to seek out an herb in the woods to induce miscarriage. When Margaret goes to pluck the herb, young Tambling appears and tells her not to use it. When she questions his origins, he informs her that he is a mortal who was captured by the Faeries while out hunting at night. He then informs her of how she can rescue him by waiting for the Faerie court to ride by the mill bridge that night, Halloween. When she sees the white horse she must grab the rider and hold him while he transforms. When she does this, the Elfan court cries out a warning, and the stars blaze, but Margaret rescues him, much to the anger of the Queen, who wishes she'd torn out his eyes.

Young Tambling

  1. Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret, was sewing at her seam
    And she's all dressed in black
    And the thought come in her head to run in the wood
    to pull flowers to flower her hat, me boys
    to pull flowers to flower her hat
  2. So she hoisted up her petticoats a bit above the knee
    And so nimbly she'd run o'er the ground
    And when she come in the merry green wood
    Well she pulled them branches down, me boys
    Well she pulled them branches down
  3. Suddenly she spied a fine young man
    He's standing by a tree
    He says "How dare you pull them branches down
    Without the leave of me, my dear,
    Without the leave of me."
  4. Well she says "This little wood oh it is me very own
    Me father gave it to me.
    I can pull these branches down
    Without the leave of thee, young man,
    Oh without the leave of thee."
  5. And He took her by the milk-white hand
    And by the grass-green sleeve
    He pulled her down at the foot of a bush
    He never once asked her leave, me boys,
    No he never once asked her leave
  6. And when it was done she twist about
    To ask her true-love's name
    But she nothing heard and she nothing saw
    And all the woods grew dim, grew dim,
    And all the woods grew dim
  7. There's four and twenty ladies all in the land
    and they're all playing at chess
    Excepting it was the Lady Margaret
    and she's green as glass, me boys,
    oh she's green as glass.
  8. And there's four and twenty ladies all in the land
    was red as any rose
    Excepting it was the Lady Margaret
    She's pale and wan, me boys,
    oh pale and wan she goes.
  9. Out then spoke a little servant girl,
    She lift her hand and smiled
    Says "I think my lady has loved too long
    And now she goes with child, me dears
    Oh and now she goes with child."
  10. Out then spoke the second serving girl
    "Oh ever and alas," Said she
    "But I think I know a herb in the merry green wood
    It'll twine the babyfrom thee, my dear
    It'll twine the baby from thee."
  11. Lady Margaret she got her silver comb
    Made haste to comb her hair
    And then she's away to the merry green wood
    As fast as she can tear, me boys
    oh as fast as she can tear.
  12. And she hadn't pulled in the merry green wood
    A herb but barely one
    When by her stood the young Tambling
    He says, "Margaret, leave it alone,
    oh Margaret, leave it alone."
  13. "Why do you pull that bitter little herb
    The herb that grows so grey
    All to destroy that fine young babe
    that we got in our play, my dear,
    That we got in our play?"
  14. "Well come tell me now, young Tambling," she says
    "If an earthly man you be."
    "I'll tell you no lies," says young Tambling
    I was christened as good as thee, me dear
    I was christened as good as thee."
  15. "But as I rode a-hunting on a bitter bitter night
    It was from horse I fell
    And the Queen Elfland she took me
    In yonder green hill to dwell, to dwell,
    Oh In yonder green hill to dwell."
  16. "But the night is Hallow-een lady
    The Elven Court will ride
    And if you would your true love win
    By the mill bridge you must hide, me dear
    By the mill bridge you must hide."
  17. "And first will run the black horse and then will run the brown
    And then race by the white
    You hold him fast and you fear him not
    He's the father of your child, my love
    he's the father of your child"
  18. "They turn me all in your arms lady
    Into many a beast sae wild
    But you'll hold on fast and fear no ill
    It's the father of your child, my love
    It's the father of your child."
  19. So Lady Margeret she gots silver comb
    She made haste to comb her hair
    And she's away to the old mill-bridge
    As fast as she could tear, me boys,
    Oh as fast as she could tear
  20. And about the dead hour of the night
    She heard the bridles ring
    And oh me boys it chilled her heart
    More than any earthly thing, it did
    More than any earthly thing.
  21. And first run the black horse and then run the brown
    And then race by the white
    Well she hold it fast and feared it not
    It's the father of her child
    oh it's the father of her child
  22. The thunder rolled across the sky
    And the stars blazed bright as day
    And the Queen of Elven gave a thrilling cry,
    "Young Tambling's away, away
    Oh Tamblings's away."
  23. And the very first thing they turned him to
    To a lion that run so wild
    But she held him fast and feared him not
    For he's the father of her child, me boys
    he's father of her child.
  24. And the very next thing they turned him to
    Into a loathesome snake
    He says "Hold me fast and fear me not
    for I'm one of God's own make, my love
    oh I'm one one of God's own make."
  25. And again they changed him all in her arms
    To a red hot bar of iron
    But she held it fast she feared it not
    And it did to her no harm, no harm
    And It did to her no harm.
  26. And the very last last they changed him to
    Was link any naked man
    She's flung her mantle over him,
    She crying, "Me love I've won, I've won"
    Oh she cried, "Me love I've won."
  27. And the Queen of Elfan
    She's red as any blood
    "I should have tore out your eyes Tambling
    And put in two eyes of wood, of wood
    And put in two eyes of wood."

Video

Version Notes

In this version, when Margaret is receiving the instructions to rescue Tam Lin, the instructions shift from first to third person in reference to Young Tambling. Also, from the narration it isn't clear if Margaret is to capture the rider on the white horse or the horse itself. No rider is mentioned.

Added to site: October 1999