| Lyrics: | THE THREE RAVENS
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Down a down, hey down,
hey down
They were a black as black might be,
With a down.
The one of them said
to his mate.
"Where shall we our breakfast take?"
With a down, derry, derry, derry
down, down.
Down in yonder green field,
Down a down, hey down, hey
down
Their lies a knight slain under his shield,
With a down.
His hounds they
lie down at his feet
So well they do their master keep.
With a down, derry, derry,
derry down, down.
His hawks they fly so eagerly
Down a down, hey down, hey
down
No other fowl dare him come nigh,
With a down.
Down there comes a fallow
doe
As heavy with young as she might go.
With a down, derry, derry, derry down,
down.
She lifted up his bloody head,
Down a down, hey down, hey down
And
kissed his wounds that were so red,
With a down.
She got him up upon her
back
And carried him to earthen lake.
With a down, derry, derry, derry down,
down.
She buried him before the prime,
Down a down, hey down, hey down
She
was dead herself ere even-song time,
With a down.
God send every
gentleman
Such hawks, such hounds, and such leman,
With a down, derry, derry, derry
down, down.
recorded on Richard Dyer-Bennet 4 and Nye's Early English
Ballads
Child #26
From Ravenscroft's 1616 "Melismate"
@ballad @love @death
@animal
filename[ THRERAVN
play.exe THRERAVN
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