The Bramble Briar / Bruton Town / The Murdered Servantman

In Bruton Town there lived a noble,
He had two sons and a daughter fair.
By night and day they were contriving
To fill their sister's heart with care.

In Bruton Town there lived a noble man,
He had two sons and a daughter fair.
By night and day they were contriving
For to fill their sister's heart with care.

One night, one night of restless slumber,
One brother rose up from his bed.
He heard the servant court their sister,
He heard they had a mind to wed.

One night, one night, our restless young girl,
One brother rose up from his bed.
He heard the servant court their sister,
Oh, he heard they had a mind to wed.

He early rose the very next morning,
A-hunting through the woods to go.
And there he did this young man a-murder
In the bramble briar his body threw.

Oh, when he rose the very next morning
Went searching for the servantman,
And when he found him, this young man he murdered,
Oh, left him lying in the briars around.

“Oh, brothers, brothers, why do you whisper,
And what's become of the serving man?”
“We lost him where we been a-hunting,
We lost him where he'll ne'er be found.”

She went to bed a-crying and lamenting
And weeping for her own true love.
And as she slept she dreamed that she saw him
All covered all over with gore and blood.

Oh, she went to bed a-crying and lamenting
And thinking of her own true love,
And as she slept, she dreamt that she saw him
A-lying in the countryside all covered with gore and blood.

“Oh, brothers, brothers, why do you whisper,
And what's become of this servant man?”
“Oh, we lost him when we were a-contending,
We lost him were he won't ever be found.”

She early rose the very next morning,
She searched the woods and the country round,
And there she found her own dear jewel,
In the bramble briar where his body they'd thrown.

Oh, she early rose the very next morning
And searched the countryside around,
And there she saw her own dear jewel
A-lying in the briars where he'd been found.

Three days and nights she did stay by him,
She kissed his eyes that could not see.
And to keep him from the heat of the sunshine,
She covered him with green leaves from off the tree.

Three days and nights she did stay by him,
She thought her heart would break with woe,
Till a cruel hunger came upon her
And in despair to her home she did go.

Three days and nights she'd lie by him,
She thought her heart it would break with woe.
When a cruel hunger came upon her
And in despair to her home she did go.

“Oh, sister, sister, why do you whisper,
And won't you tell us where you've been.”
“Stand off, stand off, you bloody butchers,
My love and I you have both slain.”

“Oh, sister, sister, why do you whisper,
And won't you tell us where you've been?”
“Stand off, stand off you bloody butchers,
My love and I you have all slain.”

In Bruton town there lived a farmer,
Who had two sons and one daughter dear.
By day and night they were conspiring
To fill their parents' heart with fear.

Now a famous farmer, as you shall hear,
He had two sons and one daughter dear.
Her servantman she much admired,
None in the world she loved so dear.

He told his secrets to no other,
But to her brother this he said:
“I think our servant courts our sister.
I think they have a mind to wed.
I'll put an end to all their courtship.
I'll send him silent to his grave.”

Said one brother to the other:
“See how our sister means to wed.
Let all such a courtship soon be ended:
We'll hoist him unto some silent grave.”

They asked him then to go a-hunting,
Without any fear or strife,
But these two bold and wicked villains,
They took away this young man's life.

They called for him to go a-hunting.
He went out without any fear or strife.
And these two jewels they proved so cruel:
They took away that young man's life.

And in the ditch there was no water,
Where only bush and briars grew.
They could not hide the blood of slaughter,
So in the ditch his body they threw.

It was near the creek where there was no water,
Nothing but bushes and briars grew.
All for to hide their cruel slaughter
Into the bushes his body threw.

When they returned home from hunting,
She asked them for her servantman.
“I ask because I see you whisper,
So brothers tell me if you can.”

When they returned from the field of hunting,
She began to enquire for her servantman:
“Come, brothers, tell me, because you whisper:
Come, brothers, tell me if you can.”

“Sister, sister, you do offend me,
Because you so examine me.
We've lost him when we've been a-hunting.
No more of him we could not see.”

“Sister, we are so much amazed,
To see you look so much at we.
We met him where we'd been a-hunting
No more of him then did we see.”

As she lay dreaming on her pillow,
She thought she saw her heart's delight;
By her bed side as she lay weeping,
He was dressed all in his bloody coat.

And she lay musing all on her pillow.
She dreamed she saw her true love stand.
By her bedside he stood lamenting,
All covered with some bloody wounds.

“Don't weep for me, my dearest jewel,
Don't weep for me nor care nor pine,
For your two brothers killed me cruel
In such a place you may me find.”

“Nancy, dear, don't you weep for me,
Pray Nancy, dear, don't weep nor pine
In that creek where there is no water
Go and there you shall my body find.”

So she rose early the next morning,
With heavy sigh and bitter groan,
The only love that she admired,
She found in the ditch where he was thrown.

So she rose early the very next morning
With many a sigh and bitter groan.
In that place where her true love told her
It's there she found his body thrown.

The blood all on his lips was drying,
His tears were salter than any brine.
And she's kissed him, loudly crying:
“Here lies a bosom friend of mine.”

Three days and nights she did sit by him,
Till her poor heart was filled with woe,
Then cruel hunger came upon her,
And to her home she had to go.

Three nights and days she stayed lamenting
Till her poor heart was filled with woe.
Until sharp hunger came creeping on her:
Homeward she was forced to go.

When she returned to her brothers:
“Sister, what makes you look so thin?”
“Brother, don't you ask the reason of me,
Oh, for his sake you shall be hung!”

“Sister, we are so much amazed
To see you look so pale and wan.”
“Brothers, I know you know the reason,
And for the same you shall be hung!”

These two brothers both were taken,
And bound all down in some prison strong.
They both were tried, found out as guilty,
And for the same they both were hung.

In Bruton town there lived a farmer,
Who had two sons and a daughter dear.
By day and night they were contriving
To fill their parents' heart with fear.

Then said one brother to no other,
But unto his brother this he said:
“I think our servant courts our sister,
I think they have a mind to wed.

If he our servant courts our sister,
That's made from such a shame I'll say.
I'll put an end to all their courtship
And I'll send him silent to his grave.”

A day of hunting was prepared
In Thornywoods where the briars grow,
And there they did that young man murder
And in a brook his body they threw.

“Oh welcome home, my dear young brother,
Our serving man is he behind?”
”We left him where we've been a-hunting
We left him where no man can find.”

She went to bed crying and lamenting,
Lamenting for her heart's delight.
She slept, she dreamed she saw him by her
All bloody red in gory plight.

His lovely curls were wet with water,
His body all agape with blows.
Oh love for thee I'm served(?) for murder
And I'm lying now where no man knows.

So she rose early the very next morning,
Unto by yonder wood she spared.
And there she found her own dear jewel
In the gory plight so bloody red.

She took her kerchief from her pocket,
She took his head upon her knee.
And then she wiped those dear eyes softly
She wiped those eyes that could not see.

“And since my brothers have been so cruel
To take your tender sweet life away,
One grave shall hold us both together
And along with you in death I'll stay.”