The Broomfield Hill

It's of a young squire who rode out one day,
By chance his lady love did meet.
Was down in the lane that led to Broomfield Hill
With these words his lady he did greet:

“A wager, a wager with you, my pretty maid,
Here's five hundred pound to your ten;
That a maid you shall go to yon merry green broom,
But a maid you shall no more return.”

“A wager, a wager with you, pretty maid,
My one hundred pounds to your ten;
That a maid you shall go into yonder green broom
Bud a maid you shall never return.”

“A wager, a wager with you, kind sir,
With your five hundred pound to my ten;
That a maid I will go to yon merry green broom,
And a maid I will boldly return.”

“A wager, a wager with you, kind sir,
Your one hundred pounds to my ten;
That a maid I shall go into yonder green broom
And a maid I shall boldly return.”

Now when that she came to this merry green broom,
Found her true love was fast in a sleep,
With a fine finished rose, and a new suit of clothes,
And a bunch of green broom at his feet.

And when she arrived down in yonder green broom
She found her lover fast asleep,
Dressed in fine silken hose, with a new suit of clothes
And a bunch of green broom at his feet.

Then three time she went from the crown of his head,
And three times from the sole of his feet.
And three times she kissed his red rosy cheeks,
As he lay fast in a sleep.

Then nine times did she go to the soles of his feet,
Nine times to the crown of his head;
And nine times she kissed his cherry red lips
As he lay on his green mossy bed.

Then she took a gold ring from off of her hand,
And put that on his right thumb,
And that was to let her true love to know
That she had been there and was gone.

Then she took a gold ring from off of her hand
And placed it on his right thumb;
And that was to let her true love know
That his lady had been there and gone.

As soon as he awoke from his drowsy, drowsy sleep,
And found his true love had been there and gone,
It was then he remembered upon the cost,
When he thought of the wager that he'd lost.

And when he awoke from out of his sleep
'Twas then that he counted the cost,
For he knew that his true love had been there and gone
And he thought of the wager he had lost.

Three times he called for his horse and his man,
The horse he'd once bought so dear,
Saying, “Why didn't you wake me out of my sleep,
When my lady, my true love, was here?

He called three times for his horse and his man,
The horse that he bought so dear,
Saying, “Why didn't you wake me out of my sleep
When my lady, my true love, was here?”

“Three times did I call to you, master, me dear,
And three times did I blow with my horn,
But out of your sleep I couldn't you awake
Till your lady, your true love, was gone.

“Oh master, I called unto you three times
And three times I blew on my horn;
But I could not wake you from out of your sleep
Till your lady, your true love, has gone.”

“Oh, had I been awake when my true love was here,
Of her I would have my will;
If not, the pretty birds in this merry green broom
With her blood they should have all had their fill.”

Farewell and adieu to her loved one in gloom,
Farewell to the birds on Broomfield Hill.
A maid she did go into yonder green broom
And a maid she remains for ever still.

“O wager, o wager, o wager I'll lay you,
I'll lay you five thousands to your one,
That a maiden I'll go to that merry broomfield
And a maiden I'm sure I will return.”

“A wager, a wager, a wager I will lay,
I will lay you five hundred to one,
That you don't follow me unto yonder blooming tree
Or a maiden you never shall return.”

And then did this young maid back on a bay hobby's back
All for to ride to that green broom,
And when she got there she found her own true love
Lying in that merry green broom fast asleep.

So they both jogged along unto yonder blooming tree,
The weather being very mild and warm.
And he became quite weary, he sat down for to rest,
Then he fell fast asleep upon the ground.

Nine times did she walk round the crown of his head,
Nine times round the sole of his feet,
Nine times did she say, “Awake, master,
For your own true love in standing nearby.”

Then nine times she walked the place all around,
And nine times she walked it all round,
And nine times she kissed his red and rosy cheeks
As he lie fast asleep upon the ground.

And when she had done all she dare do,
She stepped behind that bunch of green broom
All for to hear what her own true love should say
When he awoke out of his domestic sleep.

Then a ring from her finger she earnestly drew
And placed it on her true love's right hand,
Saying, “This shall be a token for my true love when he wakes,
He will find that I have been but now I'm gone.”

He said, “If I had been awake instead of being asleep,
My will would I have done toward thee.
Your blood it would have been spilt for those small birds to drink,
And your flesh it would have been for their food.”

“If I had been awake love, when I was fast asleep,
Of you I would have had my will,
Oh you I would have killed and your blood I would have spilled,
And the small birds should all have had their fill.”

You hard-hearted young man, how could you say so?
Your heart it must be hard as any stone
For to murder the one that lov-ed you so well,
Far better than the ground that you stand on.

“Be cheerful, be cheerful and do not repine,
For naught is as clear as the sun.
𝄆 The money, the money, the money it is mine,
The wager I fairly have won. 𝄇”

Nine times of this bell did I ring, master,
Nine times of that whip did I snap;
Nine times did I say, “Awake, master,
For your own true love is standing nearby.”

Oh it's of a lord in the north country,
He courted a lady gay.
As they were riding side by side,
A wager she did lay.

“Oh I'll wager you five hundred pound,
Five hundred pound to one,
That a maid I will go to the merry greenwood,
And a maid I will return.”

“A wager, a wager,
Five hundred pound and ten
That you'll not go to the Broomfield Hill
And a maid return again.”

So there she sat in her mother's bower garden,
There she made her moan,
Saying, “Should I go to the Broomfield Hill,
Or should I stay at home?”

And oh she cried and oh she sighed
And oh she made her moan,
Saying, “Shall I go to the Broomfield Hill
Or shall I stay at home?

“For if I go to the Broomfield Hill
My maidenhead is gone,
But if I chance to stay at home
Why then I am forsworn.”

Chorus (after each verse):

There's thirteen months all in one year
As I've heard people say,
But the finest month in all the year
Is the very merry month of May.

Then up and spake this witch woman,
As she sat on a log,
Saying, “You shall go to the Broomfield Hill,
And a maid you shall come home.”

And up there spoke an old witch woman
As she sits all alone,
Saying, “You shall go to the Broomfield Hill
And a maid you shall return.

“Oh when you get to the Broomfield Hill,
You'll find your love asleep.
With his hawk, his hound, and his silk and satin gown,
And his ribbons hanging down to his feet.”

“For when you get to the Broomfield Hill
You will find your love asleep,
With his silken gown all under his head
And a broom-cow at his feet.

“And pick the blossom from off the broom,
The blossom that smells so sweet.
And lay some down at the crown of his head,
And more at the sole of his feet.”

“You take the blossom from off of the broom,
The blossom that smells so sweet,
And you lay it down all under his head
And more at the soles of his feet.”

(Chorus)

So she's away to the Broomfield Hill
And she's found her love asleep.
With his hawk, his hound, and his silk and satin gown,
And his ribbons hanging down to his feet.

And when she got to the Broomfield Hill
She found her love asleep,
With his hawk and his hound and his silk satin gown
And his ribbons all down to his feet.

And she's picked a blossom from off the broom,
The blossom that smells so sweet.
And she's laid some down at the crown of his head
And more at the sole of his feet.

She's taken the blossom from off of the broom,
The blossom that smells so sweet,
And the more she lay it round about
The sounder he did sleep.

And she's pulled off her diamond ring
And she's pressed it in his right hand,
For to let him know when he'd wakened from his sleep
That his love had been there at his command.

She's taken the ring from off of her finger
And laid it at his right hand
For to let him know when he awoke
That she'd been there at his command.

And when he woke out of his sleep,
And the birds began to sing,
Saying, “Awake, awake, awake master,
Your true love's been and gone.”

(Chorus)

“Oh where were you, me gay goshawk?
And where were you, me steed?
And where were you, me good greyhound?
Why did you not waken me?”

“Oh where were you, my good grey steed
That I have loved so dear?
Why did you not stamp and waken me
When there was a maiden here?“

“Oh I clapped with my wings, master,
And bold your bells I rang,
Crying, waken, waken, waken master,
Before this lady ran.”

“And I stamped with my foot, master,
And I shook me bridle till it rang.
But nothing at all would waken you
Till she had been and gone.”

“Oh I stamped with my feet, master,
And all my bells I rang,
But there was nothing could waken you
Till she had been and gone.”

“So haste ye, haste ye, me good white steed,
To come where she may be.
Or all the birds of the Broomfield Hill
Shall eat their fill of thee.”

“Oh haste, haste, my good grey steed
For to come where she may be,
Or all the birds of the Broomfield Hill
Will eat their fill of thee.”

“Oh you need not waste your good white steed
By racing to her home,
For no bird flies faster through the wood
Than she fled through the broom.”

“Oh you need not break your good grey steed
By racing to her home;
There's no bird flies faster through the wood
Than she flew through the broom.”

(Chorus)

“One wager, one wager, I will lay unto thee,
One hundred bright nobles to your ten,
That you will ne'er me follow to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
And a maiden you never shall return.”

“One wager, one wager, I will lay unto thee,
Your hundred bright nobles to my ten,
That I will go a maiden to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
And will come back a maiden once again.”

There was a knight and a lady so bright
Had a true tryst at the broom,
The one to go ride early on the May morning,
And the other in the afternoon.

The maiden sat at her mother's bower door,
And there she made her moan,
Saying, “Whether shall I go to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
Or shall I bide me at home?”

“For if I shall go to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
Then my maidenhead is gone,
But if I bide me at my mother's bower door,
Then my true love will call me forsworn.”

Then up then spake an old witch-woman,
All from her lofty room,
Saying, “Well you may go to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
And yet come a maiden home.

“For when you reach the bonny Broomfield Hill,
You will find your love asleep,
With a costly silver belt about his neck,
And its brother about his feet.

“Then take the blossom from off the green broom,
The blossom that smells so sweet,
And lay it down at his white collarbone,
There and place the twigs at his feet.

“Then take the ring from off your soft white hand
And place it on your true love's right thumb
That this will be of a token to your true love when he wakes
He will know that you have been at his command.”

“One wager, one wager, I will lay unto thee,
Your hundred bright nobles to my ten,
Then I will go a maiden to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
And will come back a maiden once again.”

The knight jogged on to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
The weather being very mild and warm,
As he became quite weary, why he sat him down to rest,
And he fell fast asleep on the green lawn.

Now when the maiden reached the bonny Broomfield Hill,
She found her love asleep,
With a costly silver belt about his neck,
And its brother about his feet.

Then took she the blossom from off the green bloom,
The blossom that smelled so sweet,
And laid it at his white collar bone,
Then placed the twigs at his feet.

Then three times she danced around the soles of his shoon,
And stroked down the hair of his head,
And three times she kissed his ruby ruby lips,
As he lay fast asleep on his green bed.

Then the ring from her finger she instanter withdrew,
And placed it on her true love's right thumb,
Saying, “This will be a token to my true love when he wakes,
He will know that I have been at his command.”

Now when the knight woke from out of his long sleep,
And espied the maiden's ring on his right thumb,
He knew that the fair maid had been at his command,
And the tryst wager she had won.

“Oh where were ye, my milk white steed,
That I have cost so dear,
That would not watch and waken me,
When there was a maiden here?”

“I stamped with my feet, master,
Which made my bright bridle ring.
But no kind of thing would waken ye
Till the maiden was past and gone.”

“And where were you, my gay goshawk,
That I have loved so dear,
That would not watch and waken me
When there was a maiden here?”

“I flapped with my wings, master,
Which made my bright bell to ring,
But nothing of this earth would waken ye,
Till the maiden was past and gone.”

“And where were ye, my addle-pated page,
As draws my meat and fee,
That would not watch and waken me,
Till the maiden skipped over the lea?”

“I prodded and shook, master,
Now have I this to say,
That if you lay still when laid abed at night,
Then you would not sleep through the day.”

“One wager, one wager, I did lay unto thee,
Your hundred bright nobles to my ten,
I did go a maiden to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
And did come back a maiden once again,”

“If I had been awake, when I was fast asleep,
Of you I would have had my will,
Or it's you I would have killed and your red blood would have spilled,
And the small birds would all have had their fill.”

“You hard-hearted young man, how can you say so?
Your heart must be hard as any stone,
For to think to murder one that has loved thee so long,
And has danced on the green and mossy lawn.

“One wager, one wager, I did lay unto thee,
Your one hundred bright nobles to my ten,
And I did go a maiden to the bonny Broomfield Hill,
And did come back a maiden once again,
Yes, I did go a maiden to the bonny Broomfield Hill
And did come back a maiden once again.”