Barbara Allen / Barbary Allen / Barbary Ellen

It was round and about last Martinmas tide
When the green leaves were swelling,
That young Jimmy Grove of the West Country
Fell in love with Barbary Allen.

He sent his man into the town
To the place where she was dwelling,
Says, “Will you come to my master dear,
If your name is Barbary Allen?”

Then slowly, slowly got she up
And slowly came she nigh him,
And all she said when there she came,
“Young man, I think you're dying.”

“Indeed, I'm sick and very sick
And shan't get any better,
Unless I gain the love of one
The love of Barbary Allen.”

“But don't you remember last Saturday night
When the red wine you were spilling?
You drank a health to the ladies there
But you slighted Barbary Allen.”

And Death is printed on his face
And all his heart is stealing.
And again he cried as she left his side,
“Hard-hearted Barbary Allen.”

As she was a-going over the fields
She heard the death-bell tolling,
And every sound it seemed to sigh,
“Hard-hearted Barbary Allen.”

“Oh mother, mother, make my bed,
Come make it soft and narrow,
Since Jimmy died for me today
I shall die for him tomorrow.”

In Reading town, where I was born,
A fair maid there was a-dwelling,
I fixed her up to be my bride,
And her name was Barbara Allen.

Now in the first part of the year
When green buds they were swelling,
Young Johnny Rose on his deathbed lay
For love of Barbara Allen, Allen,
For love of Barbary Allen.

It was all in the month of May,
When the green leaves they were a-springing,
A young man on his sick bed lay,
For the love of Barbara Allen.

He sent his men all down to her hall
To the place where she was dwelling,
“For you must come to my master's house
If your name is Barbary Allen, Allen,
If your name is Barbary Allen.”

“For death is painted upon his face
And on his heart is stealing,
So come you now to comfort him
If your name is Barbary Allen, Allen,
If your name is Barbary Allen.”

“Though death is painted upon his face
And on his heart is stealing,
Yet little better shall he be
Though my name is Barbary Allen, Allen,
Though my name is Barbary Allen.”

And he sent his servant man
To the place where she was dwelling,
𝄆Saying, “Fair maid, go to your mother's house,
If your name is Barbara Allen𝄇”

So slowly, slowly she's got up
And slowly's come she nigh him,
But all she said when she saw him there,
“Young man, I think you're dying.”

So slowly, slowly she walked up,
So slowly she got to him,
And when she called to his bedside,
She says, “Young man, you're dying.”

“If on your death bed you do lie
What needs the tale you're telling?
I cannot keep you from your death
Though my name is Barbary Allen, Allen,
Though my name is Barbary Allen.”

“Oh look at my bedhead,” he cried,
Oh there you'll find it ticking:
My gold watch and my gold chain
I'll leave to Barbary Allen, Allen,
I'll leave to Barbary Allen.”

“Oh look at my bed foot,” he cried,
And there you'll see them lying:
Bloody sheets and bloody shirts,
I've sweated for you, Allen.”

“Oh nothing would help what's in your fate,
Oh daughter, take it from me,
I cannot save you from the grave,
So farewell dearest Johnny.”

And as she walked all across the field
She's heard the death bell knelling,
And every stroke that death bell gave
Cried, “Woe be to you, Allen.”

As she was walking through the field
She heard the bells a-ringing,
And as they rang, they seemed to say,
“Hard-hearted Barbara Allen.”

And then she's turned herself around,
She saw his corpse a-coming,
“Lie down, lie down your weary load
Till I get to gaze upon him.”

And she was walking through the street
She saw his corpse a-coming,
𝄆“You little hearts come set him down,
And let me gaze all on him.”𝄇

When he's dead and laid in his grave
Her heart was struck with sorrow,
“Oh mother, mother make my bed
For I must die tomorrow.”

The more she looked, the more she laughed,
And farther she got to him,
And her friends cried out for shame,
“Hard-hearted Barbara Allen.”

“Hard-hearted was I him to slight
He who loved me dearly,
Oh had I been more kind to him
When he was alive and near me, near me,
When he was alive and near me.”

“Hard-hearted creature sure I was
To the one that loved me dearly,
𝄆I wish I had more kinder been,
In the time of life was near me.”𝄇

And she upon her death bed lay,
Bed to be buried by him.
And she's repented of the day
That e'er she did deny him.

It was he that died was today,
She died on the morrow,
𝄆It was he that died for love,
And she has died for sorrow.𝄇

All in the third part of the year
When green leaves they were falling,
Young Johnny Rose, all down from the war,
Fell in love with Barbary Ellen.

In Dublin I was reared and born,
In Dublin I was dwelling.
I fell in love with a dark eyed girl
And her name was Barbary Ellen.

He sent his men down to the town
To the place where she was dwelling,
Saying, “Lady, come quick and come very quick
If your name be Barbary Ellen.”

He sent his servant to her room,
To the place where she was dwelling,
Saying, “Haste unto my master's room
If your name be Barbary Ellen.”

So slowly, slowly she rose up,
So slowly she put on her,
So slowly come to his bedside
And so slowly she looked upon him.

“You're lying low, young man,” she cries,
“And death is with you dealing.
No the better for me you never shall be
Though your heart's blood were spilling.”

“Oh look at my bedhead,” he cries,
“And there you'll find it ticking:
My gold watch and my gold chain,
I bestow them to you, my Ellen.”

“Oh look at my bed foot,” he cries,
“And there you will find them lying:
Bloody sheets and bloody shirts,
I swept them for you, my Ellen.”

'Twas slowly, slowly she put on her clothes
And slowly she walked to him,
She pulled the curtains from round of his head
Saying, “Young man, you are dying.”

“Tell me, do you mind the time, ” she cries,
“All in the tavern swilling?
You made the health of all round the place
But never for your love Ellen.”

“Don't you remember last Saturday night
Whilst drinking at the Royal?
You drank the health of all fair maids
But you slighted Barbary Ellen”

“Oh it's well I remember last Saturday night
Whilst drinking at the Royal,
I drunk the health of all fair maids
But my trust to Barbary Ellen.”

She walked over yon garden field,
She heard the dead bell knelling.
And every stroke that the dead bell gave
It cried, “Woe be to you now, Ellen.”

She walked over yon garden field,
She saw his corpse a-coming,
“Lay down, lay down, your weary load
Until I get to look upon him.”

She lifted the lid from off the corpse,
She bursted out with laughing.
And all of his friends that stood round about,
They cried, “Woe be to you now, Ellen.”

She come home to her father's house,
“Make my bed long and narrow,
For young Johnny Rose died for me today
And I must die tomorrow.”

“Oh mother, mother, make by bed,
Oh make it soft and narrow.
For William died of love today
And I shall die of sorrow.”

“Oh father, father, dig my grave,
Oh dig it deep and narrow.
For William died for me today
And I shall die tomorrow.”

They buried her all in the churchyard,
They buried him in the choir.
And out of him there grew a red rose
And out of her a briar.

A rose grew from fair William's heart,
From Barbary Ellen's a briar,
They grew and grew to the top of the church
Till they couldn't grow any higher.

They grew and they grew all in the churchyard
Till they could grow no higher.
They twisted and twined themselves in a knot
As the rose growed all round the briar.

They grew and grew to the top of the church
Till they couldn't grow any higher,
And at the top they formed a knot,
𝄆 The rose wrapped round the briar. 𝄇