Yarmouth Fair (Collins, set by P. Warlock) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


 As I rode down to Yarmouth fair
 The birds they sang "Good day, good day,"
 And the birds they sang "Good day!"

 O, I spied a maid with golden hair
 A-walking along my way -
 A tidy little maid so trim and fair,
 And the birds they sang "Good day, good day,"
 And the birds they sang "Good day!"
 I said: "My dear, will you ride with me?"
 And the birds they sang, "Go on, go on!"
 And the birds they sang "Go on!"

 She didn't say "yes" and she didn't say "no,"
 And the birds they sang "Heigh ho, heigh ho!"
 And the birds they sang "Heigh ho!"
 I lifted her right on to my mare,
 O light as a feather was she,
 I'd never set eyes on a girl so fair,
 So I kiss'd her bravely one, two, three,
 O I kiss'd her one, two, three.

 Then on we rode to Yarmouth fair
 Past field and green hedge-row,
 And in our hearts no fret nor care,
 And the birds they sang "Hullo, hullo!"
 And the birds they sang "Hullo!"
 At the fair the fun was fast and free,
 And the birds they sang "Hurray, hurray!"
 And the birds they sang "Hurray!"

 The band struck up a lively air
 On fiddle and fife and drum.
 The maid and me we made a pair,
 And we danced to kingdom come,
 Ho-ho! And we danced to kingdom come.
 The lads and lasses cheer'd us on,
 My bonny maid and me, we danced till stars were in the sky,
 And the birds they sang "Goodbye, goodbye!"
 And the birds they sang "Goodbye!"

Note: Tune taken down by E. J. Moeran from the singing of Mr. John Drinkwater, at Cley in Norfolk.

Authorship

Hal Collins

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Peter Warlock (1894-1930) [pseudonym]

Date added to the website: 2003-10-12.

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