There were two lovers in yond dale
Fair Janet and young James
But her cruel father he swore it so
To cast their love into the flames
My daughter you will marry a wealthy lord
And he'll take you o'er the sea
Or you will burn for your own true love
In the morn upon yon lee
So these two sweethearts took flight in the dark
All on a steed of grey
And when that they came to the good green wood
Just before the break of the day
I must rest my own true love
I must rest before the morn
For the child that I bear from all that we shared
This night it shall be born
And she has borne the babe in the wood
Through hardship, toil and pain
But take home young man our bonny young son
For my father would have him slain
So he's taken the babe all in his arms
He's kissed him cheek and chin
He's hied him away to his own mother's bower
By the pale light of the moon
Came four and twenty noble lords
And her father was riding beside
And they have taken fair Janet this morn
To be the wealthy lord's bride
Then she was brought to Mary's Church
To tie the holy bann
And they burned a sore pain in her side
She looked so pale and wan
Then the wedding dinner being passed and o'er
And the dancing to begin
When up and spoke the cruel father
Saying, "Bride you'll dance with the groom"
They had not rung a reel, a reel
And a reel but barely three
Oh let me go you wealthy lord
There is sore pain in my body
And they had not rung a reel, a reel
And a reel but barely four
When fair Janet in her own father's hall
She fell and rose no more
They've taken fair Janet to her own chamber room
All on the wedding day
And when young James arrived to his true love's side
She was as cold as the clay
And how he mourns in that cold chamber room
For his own true lover dear
When in and came the wealthy lord
Saying, "What's your business here?"
He's taken young James all by the throat
For to end his sweet life there
And on they fight like two lions might
Then he's thrown him down the stairs
He's broken three ribs of the bridegroom's side
And away then he did run
And young James is away to his own mother's bower
To mind his bonny young son
Oh your mother was as fair my own darling boy
As the flowers that bloom in spring
But listen you now to those bells in the tower
Not one for fair Janet does ring
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