Tam Lin Balladry

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Tam Lin: Pete Morton

Source: Pete Morton

album: Frivolous Love

Title: Tamlyn

Site reference number: 28

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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."
  5. "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."
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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."
  10. 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."
  11. 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.
  12. 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."
  13. "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?"
  14. "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."
  15. "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."
  16. "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."
  17. "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."
  18. 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."
  19. "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."
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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."
  25. 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.
  26. 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
  27. 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.
  28. 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.
  29. 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."
  30. 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."
  31. "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