Willie Of Winsbury

Lyrics

[Verse 1] The king has been a prisoner And a prisoner long in Spain And Willie of the Winsbury Has lain long with his daughter at home [Verse 2] What ails, what ails, my daughter? That you look so pale and wan Or have you had the sickness Or been sleeping with a man [Verse 3] Cast off, cast off your berry-brown gown Stand naked on the stone So I may know you by your shape You can be a maiden or no [Verse 4] Was it with a lord, a duke or knight Or a man of birth and fame Or was it with one of my serving men Lately out of Spain? [Verse 5] Now the king has called on his merry men By thirty and by three Fetch me this Willie of Winsbury For hanged he shall be [Verse 6] But when he came the king before He was clad all in red silk His hair was like hooden strands His skin was as white as milk, oh [Verse 7] "It is no wonder" said the king That my daughter's love you did win For if I were a woman My bedfellow you would have been [Verse 8] Oh, will you marry my daughter By the truth of your right hand Oh yes, I will marry your daughter But I'll not be the lord of your land [Verse 9] He's mounted her on a milk-white steed And himself on a dapple grey He made her the lady of as much land She shall ride in a long summer's day