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Arise Arise / The Drowsy Sleeper

[ Roud 22621 ; Laws M4 ; Ballad Index LM04 ; trad.]

Peggy Seeger and Tom Paley sang Who's That Knocking at My Window? (The Drowsy Sleeper) on their 1965 album Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot?.

Bryony Griffith sang Arise Arise on her and Will Hampson's 2011 CD Lady Diamond. They commented in their liner notes:

Known as Drowsy Sleeper from the book The Seeds of Love compiled by Stephen Sedley. The Rowling Hornpipe from the Jpseph Kershaw MS The Music of a 19th Century Saddleworth Fiddle Player published by INWAC.

Lyrics

Bryony Griffith sings Arise, Arise

“Arise, arise, my drowsy sleeper,
Awake, awake, it's almost day.
Oh come unto your bedroom window
And hear what your true love does say.”

“Begone, begone, you'll awake my mother,
My father too will quickly hear;
Go tell your tale unto another
And whisper softly all in her ear.”

“Oh then, oh then, go ask your father,
If he'll consent you my bride to be.
If he denies you, come and tell me
And it's the last time I'll visit thee.”

“My father's in his chamber, writing,
And noting down on his merchandise,
And in his hand he holds a letter
And it speaks much of your dispraise.”

“To my dispraise, love, to my dispraise, love,
To my dispraise, love, how can it be?
I have never slighted, nor yet denied you
Until this night you've denied of me.

“Oh then, oh then, go ask your mother
If she'll consent you my bride to be.
If she denies you, come and tell me
And it's the last time I'll visit thee.”

“My mother's in her chamber sleeping,
And words of love she will not hear,
Go tell your tale unto another
And whisper softly all in her ear.”

“The fish shall fly, the sea run dry, love,
The rocks shall melt all in the sun;
And the labouring man shall forget his labour,
Before that I shall return again.”

Links

See also the Mudcat Café thread Lyr Add: Drowsy Sleeper.