Summary
Maidens are warned against entering Chaser's woods for fear of losing their virginity. Margaret goes running into the woods to pluck roses, where she encounters Tam O the Lyn, who takes her by the hand. When she returns home, the other girls remark that she appears to be with child, and advise her about finding herbs to induce abortion. She returns to the woods, where she meets with Tam Lin again, who asks her to spare the child. He then instructs her how to rescue her from the fairies. She follows his instructions and rescues him, earning the wrath of the Queen.
Tam-a-Lin
- I forbid you maidens all
And a warning take by me
Don't go down to the Chaser's wood
If a maid you want to return, return
If a maid you want to return. - Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret, she's sitting in her bower
She as red as any rose
And shes's longed to go the Chaser's woods
To pull them flowers that grow, grow
to pull them flowers that grow - Now she taken out her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's gone down to the Chaser's wood
As fast as she could tear, could tear
as fast as she could tear - But she hadn't pulled but the one red rose
The rose that grows there in the green
When a voice said, "Lady, how you dare touch a rose
Without no leave of me, of me,
without no leave of me." - "This rose it is my very own
My father he gave it to me.
and I'll bend and I'll pull and I'll break the branch
And I won't ask leave of thee, of thee,
no I won't ask leave of thee." - He's taken her by the middle so small
Down to where the grass it grows so green
And what he done, well I just couldn't say
But he never once asked her leave, her leave
He never once asked her leave. - Four and twenty ladies, all sitting in the hall
All playing at the chess
All except for a young Margaret
She's green as any grass, any grass,
she's green as any grass. - Yes, there's four and twenty ladies, all sitting in the
hall
All as red as the rose
All except for a young Margaret
Pale and wan she goes, she goes
pale and wan she goes. - Well, up there spoke one of them girls
And on her face was a smile
"I think my lady's loved a little long
And now she goes with child, with child
Yes, and now she goes with child." - Up there spoke another of them girls
A pretty little girl was she
"I know a herb growing in the Chaser's woods
That'll twine the babe from thee, from thee
That will twine the babe from thee." - Lady Margaret, she's taken out her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's gone down to the Chaser's wood
As fast as she could tear, could tear
as fast as she could tear. - But she hadn't pulled but the one bit o' herb
The herb that grows there in the loam
When up there spoke young Tam Lin
Saying, "Margaret, leave it alone
Oh, sweetheart, Margaret, leave it alone." - "Why do you want that bitter, bitter herb
The herb that grows there in the grey
Except to twine away the pretty little babe
We got in our play, our play,
That we got in our play?" - "Oh tell me this, Tam Lin," she says
"If a mortal man you be?"
"Well, I'll tell you truth without the word of a lie
I got christened as good as thee, as thee
I got christened as good as thee." - "But as I rode out on a bitter, bitter day
'Twas from my horse I fell
And the Queen of the Elvens did take me
In yonder green wood to dwell, to dwell
in yonder green wood to dwell." - "And it's every seventh seventh year
We pay toll to hell ans the last one here is the first to go.
And I fear the toll, it's meself, it's meself
Yes, I fear the toll's meself." - "Oh, tonight it is the Halloween
When the Elven Court shall ride
And if you would your true lover save
By the old mill bridge you must hide, you must hide
By the old mill bridge you must hide." - First there'll come the black horse
And it's then there'll come the brown
they'll both race by the white
You must throw your arms up around my neck
And I must not hear afright, afright
I must not hear afright." - "And they'll change me then, and it's all in your arms
to many's the beasts wild
You must hold me tight, you must fear me not
I'm the father of your child,
you know that I'm the father of your child." - Well the woods grew dark, and the woods grew dim
Tam Lin he was gone.
And she's picked up her little white feet
And to the old mill-bridge she has run now, she has run
To the old mill-bridge she has run. - But she looked high, and she looked low
She compassed all around
But she nothing saw, she nothing heard
She heared no mortal sound, no sound
she heard no mortal sound. - Untill the darkest hour of that night
She heard the bridles ring
It chilled her heart, gave her a start
More than any mortal thing, any thing
More than any mortal thing. - First there came the black horse,
then there came the brown
They both race by the white
She threw her arms up around his neck
And he did not her afright, and afright
he did not her afright. - Then thunder roared across the sky
And the stars burnt as bright as day
And the Queen of the Elvens give a thrilling cry,
"Tam-a-Lin, he's away, he's away
Tam-a-Lin he's away." - Well they changed him then - it was all in her arms
To a lion roaring wild
But she held him tight, she feared him not
He was the father of her child, she knew that he was
The father of her child. - Well they changes him again - it was all in her arms
To a big black dog to bite
But she held him tight and she feared him not
He did not hear afright, afright, he did not hear afright - And they changed him again - it was all in her arms
To a big black hissing snake
But she held him tight she feared him not
He was one of God's own make, she knew that
He was one of God's own make. - And they changed him again - it ws all in her arms
To a white-hot bar of iron
But she held him tight, she feared him not
He'd done to her no harm, no harm
he had done to her no harm. - Then they changed him again - it was all in her arms
To a mother-naked man
She threw her cloak around his shoulders,
Saying, "Tam-a-Lin, we've won, love, we've won,"
Saying, "Tam-a-Lin, we've won." - Then the Queen of the Elvens, how she cursed young Tam
Lin
Oh, how she cursed him good
"I should have torn out your eyes young Tam Lin
I should have put in two eyes of wood, of wood
I should have put in two eyes of wood." - "It's curses on you, Tam Lin," she says
"You once was my very own.
And when you were mine, I should have tore out your heart
And put in a heart of stone, cold stone
Yes put in a heart of stone."
Version Notes
Added to site: October 1999