June Tabor - Johnny O'bredislee / Glory of the West lyrics

Johnny arose on a May morning
Called for water to wash his hands
"Come lose to me my twa greyhounds
Lie bound in iron bands, bands
That lie bound in iron bands"

When Johnny's mother she heard of this
Her hands in dule she wrang
"Johnny for your venison
Ta the greenwood dinnae gang, gang
Ta the greenwood dinnae gang

"For we have plenty of the white bread
And of the good red wine
Johnny for your venison
Ta the greenwood dinnae gang, gang
Ta the greenwood dinnae gang"

But Johnny has breskit his good benbow
His arrows one by one
He is on to the gay greenwood
For to bring the dun deer down, down
For to bring the dun deer down

As they gaed down by Merriemoss
Down among yon scroggs
There they spied the dun deer lie
At the back of a bush of broom, broom
At the back of a bush of broom

Now Johnny shot and the dun deer lap
And he wounded her in the side
Between the water and the woods
The greyhounds laid her pride, pride
The greyhounds laid her pride

Now they ate so much of the good venison
And they drank so much of the blood
Johnny and his twa greyhounds
Lay asleep as they'd been dead, dead
Lay asleep as they'd been dead

And by and came a silly old man
And an ill death may he die
For he's on to the seven forester
For to tell what he did see, see
For to tell what he did see

"O as I came down by Merriemoss
Down among yon scroggs
The bonniest lad that e'er I saw
Lay asleep atween twa dogs, dogs
Lay asleep atween twa dogs

"And the coat he wore upon his back
Was of the Lincoln twine
And the stock he wore about his neck
It was pearl and precious stone, stone
It was pearl and precious stone

"And the buttons he wore upon his coat
Were of the gold so good
And the twa greyhounds he lay between
Their mouths all red with blood, blood
Aye, their mouths all red with blood"

Then up spoke the first forester
An angry man was he
"If this be Johnny o' Bredislee
My faith we'll gar him die, die
My faith we'll gar him die"

Then up spoke the second forester
His sister's son was he
"If this be Johnny o' Bredislee
We'd better let him be, be
Oh, we'd better let him be"

Then up spoke the seventh forester
Lord among them all
"If this be Johnny o' Bredislee
We'll gang and gar him fall, fall
Aye, we'll gang and gar him fall"

And the first shot that the foresters fired
They wounded him in the knee
And the second shot that the foresters fired
Oh, the red blood blinded his ee, ee
Oh, the red blood blinded his ee

"But, if my bow prove true as it used to do
And my courage do not fail
I'll mak you dearly rue the day
That you cam to the Dinspeer Hill, Hill
That you cam to the Dinspeer Hill"

Then he's set his back against an oak
His foot against a thorn
And he's shot the seven foresters
Shot them all and one, one
Aye, he's killed them all and one

Johnny's good benbow is broke
His twa greyhounds lie slain
Johnny sleeps in Merriemoss
And his hunting days are done, done
Aye, his hunting days are done