A holiday, a holiday, and the first one of the Lord DArlen's came into the church, the for to hear.
And when the meeting it was done, she cast her eyes And there she saw Matty Groves, walking in the crowd "Come home with me, little Matty Groves, come home with me Come home with me, little Matty Groves, and sleep with me light" "Oh, I can't come home, I won't come and sleep with you tonight By the rings on your fingers I can tell you are my wife" "But if I am Arlen 's wife, Lord Arlen's not at home He is out in the far cornfields the yearlings home"
And a servant who was standing by and hearing what was He Lord Arlen he would know before the sun would set And in his hurry to carry the news, he bent his and ran And when he came to the millstream, he took off his shoes and he swam
Matty Groves, he lay down and took a little sleep When he awoke, Lord Arlen was at his feet "How do you like my feather bed and how do you like my sheets How do you like my who lies in your arms asleep?" "Oh, well I like your feather bed and well I your sheets But better I like your lady gay who in my arms asleep" "Well, get up, get up," Arlen cried, "get up as quick as you can It'll never be said in fair England that I a naked man" "Oh, I can't get up, I get up, I can't get up for my life For you have two beaten swords and I not a pocket knife" "Well true I have two beaten swords and they cost me deep in the purse But you will the better of them and I will have the worse And you will strike the very first blow and it like a man I will strike the very next and I'll kill you if I can"
So Matty struck the very first blow and he hurt Arlen sore Lord struck the very next blow and Matty struck no more And then Lord took his wife and he sat her on his knee "Who do you like the best of us, Matty Groves or me?" And then up spoke his own dear wife, never to speak so free "I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips than you or finery"
Lord Arlen he jumped up and he did bawl He his wife right through the heart and pinned her against the wall "A grave, a grave," Lord Arlen cried, "to put lovers in But bury my at the top for she was of noble kin"