Wife of Usher's Well, The

X:18758
T:Wife of Usher's Well, The
S:Digital Tradition, ushrwel2
B:From Ballads Migrant in New England, Flanders
B:Collected from Phyllis Burditt, Springfield VT 1951
Z:dt:ushrwel2
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
W:There lived a wife at Usher's Well
W:And a wealthy wife was she;
W:She had three stout and stalwart sons
W:And sent them o'er the sea.
W:They had not been a week from her,
W:A week but barely one,
W:When word came to the carline wife
W:That her three sons were gone.
W:
W:They had not been a week from her
W:A week but barely three,
W:When word came to the carline wife
W:That her sons she'd never see.
W:"I wish the wind may never cease
W:Nor fishes in the flood,
W:Till my three sons come home to me
W:In earthly flesh and blood !"
W:
W:It fell about the Martinmas,
W:When nights are long and mirk,
W:The carline wife's three sons came home
W:And their hats were on the birk.
W:It neither grew in syke nor ditch,
W:Nor yet in any sheugh,
W:But at the gates of Paradise
W:That birk grew fair enough.
W:
W:"Blow up the fires, my maidens fair!
W:Bring water from the well!
W:For all my house shall feast this night
W:Since my three sons are well!"
W:And she has made for them a bed
W:She's made it long and wide;
W:And she's taken her mantle round about,
W:Sat down at their bedside.
W:
W:Up then did crow the red, red cock
W:And up and crew the gray;
W:The eldest to the youngest said,
W:"'Tis time we were away"
W:The cock he hadn't crowed but once
W:And clapped his wings away
W:When the youngest to the eldest said,
W:"O, Brother, we must away!"
W:
W:The cock doth crow, the day doth dawn,
W:The channerin worm doth chide;
W:"Gin we be miss out of our place,
W:A sair pain we maun bide.
W:Fare you well, my mother dear!
W:Farewell to barn and byre!
W:And fare you well, the bonny lass
W:That kindles my mother's fire!"
K:F
C2|D2D-E F2C2|D2D-E F2FG|A2A-G F2E2|D6F-G|\
A2A2 d2d2|d2c2 A2A-G|F2E2 F2G2|A6A2|
A2A2 d3d|d2c2 A2A-G|F2E2 F2G2|A6C2|\
D2D-E F3C|D2D-E F2F-G|A2A-G F2E2|D6||

Alternative sources for this tune:

• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/atrilcoral.com/w/0413
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/home.quicknet.nl/england/8096
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/konzertina.org/Wife_of_Ushers_Well_The/0000
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/melnets_big_abc_file/15488
• trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/terra.es/personal8/niltoni/w/0413

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