Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret, was sewing at her seam
And she's all dressed in black
And the thought come in her head to run in the wood
To pull flowers to flower her hat, me boys
To pull flowers to flower her hat

So she hoisted up her petticoats a bit above the knee
And so nimbly she'd run o'er the ground
And when she come in the merry greenwood
Well, she pulled them branches down, me boys
Well, she pullеd them branches down

Suddenly shе spied a fine young man
He's standing by a tree
He says, “How dare you pull them branches down
Without the leave of me, my dear
Without the leave of me?”

"Well", she says, “This little wood, oh, it is me very own
Me father gave it to me
I can pull these branches down
Without the leave of thee, young man
Oh, without the leave of thee”

And he took her by the milk-white hand
And by the grass-green sleeve
He pulled her down at the foot of a bush
And he never once asked her leave, me boys
No, he never once asked her leave

And when it was done she twist about
To ask her true-love's name
But she nothing heard and she nothing saw
And all the woods grew dim, grew dim
And all the woods grew dim

There's four and twenty ladies all in the land
And they're all playing at chess
Except it was the Lady Margaret
And she's green as any glass, me boys
Oh, she's green as any glass
And there's four and twenty ladies all in the land
Grow as red as any rose
Except it was the Lady Margaret
She's pale and wan, me boys
Oh, pale and wan she goes

Up then spoke the little servant girl
She lift her hand and smiled
Says, “I think my lady has loved too long
And now she goes with child, me dears
Oh, and now she goes with child"

Up then spoke the second serving girl
“Oh, ever and alas,” said she
“But I think I know a herb in the merry greenwood
It'll twine thy baby from thee, madam
It'll twine thy baby from thee”

So Lady Margaret she got her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
And then she's away to the merry greenwood
As fast as she can tear, me boys
Oh, as fast as she can tear

And she hadn't pulled in the merry greenwood
A herb but barely one
When by her stood the young Tambling
He says, “Margaret, leave it alone
Oh Margaret, leave it alone”
“Why d'you pull that bitter little herb
The herb that grows so grey
For to destroy that fine young babe
That we got in our play, my dear
That we got in our play?”

“Well, come tell me now, young Tambling,” she says
“If an earthly man you be”
“I'll tell you no lies,” says young Tambling
“I was christened as good as thee, me dear
I was christened as good as thee”

“But as I rode a-hunting on a bitter, bitter night
It was from my horse I fell
And the Queen of Elfland she caught me
In yonder green hill to dwell, to dwell
Oh, in yonder green hill to dwell”

“But tonight is Halloween, lady
The Elven Court will ride
And if you would your true love win
By the mill bridge you must hide, me dear
By the mill bridge you must hide”

“And first will run the black horse and then will run the brown
And then race by the white
You hold him fast and you fear him not
For he's the father of your child, my love
Oh, he's the father of your child”

“They'll turn me all in your arms, lady
Into many's the beasts so wild
But you'll hold on fast and you fear no ill
For it's the father of your child, my love
It's the father of your child”

So Lady Margaret she got her silver comb
She made haste to comb her hair
Then she's away to the old mill-bridge
As fast as she could tear, me boys
Oh, as fast as she could tear

And about the dead hour of the night
She heard the bridles ring
And oh, me boys, it chilled her heart
More than any earthly thing it did
More than any earthly thing

And first run the black horse and then run the brown
And then race by the white
Well, she hold it fast and feared it not
For it's the father of her child
Oh, it's the father of her child

The thunder rolled across the sky
The stars blazed bright as day
The Queen of Elven gave a thrilling cry
“Young Tambling's away, brave boys
Young Tambling's away”

And the very first thing they turned him into
Was a lion that runs so wild
But she held him fast, she feared him not
For he's the father of her child, me boys
Oh, he's father of her child

And the very next thing they turned him into
It was a loathsome snake
He says, “Hold me fast and fear me not
For I'm one of God's own make, my love
Oh, I'm one one of God's own make”

And again they changed him all in her arms
To a red hot bar of iron
But she held it fast, she feared it not
And it did to her no harm, no harm
And it did to her no harm

And the very last thing they changed him into
Was like any naked man
She flung her mantle over him
She cried, “Me love I've won, I've won”
Oh, she cried, “Me love I've won”

And the Queen of Elven she called from a bush
She's red as any blood
“I should have tore out your eyes, Tambling
And put in two eyes of wood, of wood
And put in two eyes of wood”