> Shirley Collins > Songs > Go from My Window
> Steeleye Span > Songs > Go from My Window / Tim Hart: Come to My Window
> June Tabor > Songs > Go from My Window
> The Watersons > Songs > Oliver Knight: Go from My Window

Go from My Window / Come to My Window

[ Roud 966 ; Ballad Index ChWI146 ; trad.]

Shirley Collins sang this song of refusal on her and her sister Dolly's album Love, Death & the Lady. She commented in the album's notes:

From a printed source English Folk Songs edited by William Alexander Barrett (price 2/6d). He notes that the song was known in the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st.

Steeleye Span recorded Go from My Window in 1996 for their album Time. Compare to this former member Tim Hart's earlier rendering of a related song, Come to My Window on his 1979 solo album Tim Hart.

June Tabor recorded this in 1997 for her CD Aleyn. She commented in her album notes:

This song has 16th century origins and is quoted in Beaumont and Fletcher, Otway and Middleton. The tune, from Norfolk, is found in Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Time.

Eliza Carthy sang Go from My Window on her cousin Oliver Knight's first solo album, Mysterious Day with Chris Parkinson playing harmonica. This track was reissued in 2003 on the Eliza Carthy anthology The Definitive Collection.

Lyrics

Shirley Collins sings Go from My Window

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the wind is in the West and the cuckoo's in his nest
And you can't have a lodging here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
Oh, the weather it is warm, it will never do thee harm
And you can't have a lodging here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the wind is blowing high and the ship is lying by
And you can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
The wind and the rain have brought him back again
But he can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
Oh, the devil's in the man that he will not understand
He can't have a harbouring here.

Steeleye Span' version of Go from My Window

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
The wind is in the West and the cuckoo's in his nest
And you can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
The weather it is warm, it will never do thee harm
But you can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
The wind is blowing high and the ship is lying by
And you can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
The window and the rain have brought him back again
But you can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
The devil's in the man that he will not understand
He can't have a harbouring here.

June Tabor sings Go from My Window

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the wind is in the West and the cuckoo's in her nest
And you can't have a lodging here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the weather it is warm, it will never do you harm
And you can't have a lodging here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the wind is rising high and the ship is lying by
And you can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
Oh, the wind and the rain have fetched him back again
But he can't have a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
Oh, the devil's in the man that he will not understand
That he can't have a lodging here,
Fare thee well,
That he can't have a lodging here.

Eliza Carthy sings Go from My Window

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
Oh the weather it is warm
It will never do you harm
And you won't have a welcome here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the wind is blowing nigh
And our ship is lying by
And you won't find a harbouring here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
Oh the devil's in the man
That will not understand
That he won't find a lodging here.

Go from my window, my love, my dove,
Go from my window, my dear.
For the wind is in the west
And the cuckoo's in his nest
And you won't have a welcome here.

(© 2002 Topic Records)

Tim Hart sings Come to My Window

Come to my window, my love, my dove,
Come to my window, my dear.
There's nothing I can do but to sit and wait for you
And you'll find a welcome here.

Come to my window, my love, my dove,
Come to my window, my dear.
Like a river to the sea you will find your way to me
And you'll find me waiting here.

Come to my window, my love, my dove,
Come to my window, my dear.
Like the moon across the sky you look happier by and by
And you'll find me waiting here.

Come to my window, my love, my dove,
Come to my window, my dear.
Like the wind and like the rain you'll be coming back again
And you'll find me waiting here.

Come to my window, my love, my dove,
Come to my window, my dear.
There's nothing I can do but to sit and wait for you
And you'll find a welcome here.