I'm the first one of the year
the gospel brought her here
And when the meeting it was done,
And there she spied young Matty Groves,
come home with me tonight
Come home with me, young Matty Groves,
and sleep with me tonight
I'm sleeping with you tonight
For by the nails on your fingers
I can tell You are me master's wife
And what if I am Lord Arnold's wife?
He is out in the far country
He's bringing a yearling's
God turned to a standing boy,
Swallowed on all he would know,
And in his hurry to carry his news,
he bent his breast and he ran.
And when he came to the straw mill stream,
he took off his shoes and he swam.
and he took a little sleep
Lord Alan was standing by his feet
Saying, how do you like my feather bed?
How do you like my sheets?
And how do you like my lady wife,
who lies in your arms asleep?
Oh well, I like your feather bed
better than I like your sheets
And best I like your lady waifu
Get up, get up, get up, Lord Arnold,
try and get up as quick as you can
But it'll never be sat in despair
Well, I can't get up and I won't get up,
I won't get up for my life
For you have too long beaten swords
and I ain't not a fucking knight
It's true, I have two beating swords,
they thrust me deep in the past
But you will have the better of them,
and I will keep the worst
And you will strike me the
you'll strike it like a man
I will strike the very next blow,
and I'll kill you if I can
he burst below and he hurt
Lord Arnold struck the bed
and Matty struck the floor
And then he took his own dear wife,
And said, who do you like the best of us?
Now you're dead, Matty Groves, or me?
And then I spoke in her own dear way,
never heard her speak so free
than you and I, yeah, finally
And that Lord Arnold, he jumped up
He stuck his wife right through the heart
and he pinned her up to the wall
might put these lovers in
But won't you marry my lady at the top?