A holiday, a holiday, and the one of the year Lord DArlen's wife 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, home with me tonight Come home me, little Matty Groves, and sleep with me till light" "Oh, I can't come home, I won't come home and with you tonight By the rings on your fingers I can tell you are my wife" "But if I am Lord 's wife, Lord Arlen's not at home He is out in the far cornfields the yearlings home"
And a who was standing by and hearing what was said He swore Lord Arlen he would know the sun would set And in his hurry to the news, he bent his breast and ran And he came to the broad millstream, he took off his shoes and he swam
Little Matty Groves, he lay down and a little sleep he awoke, Lord Arlen was standing at his feet Saying "How do you like my feather bed and how do you my sheets How do you like my lady who lies in your asleep?" "Oh, well I like your feather bed and I like 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 that I slew a naked man" "Oh, I can't get up, I get up, I can't get up for my life For you have two long beaten swords and I not a knife" "Well it's I have two beaten swords and they cost me deep in the purse But you will have the better of and I will have the worse And you will the very first blow and strike it like a man I will strike the next blow and I'll kill you if I can"
So Matty struck the very first blow and he hurt Arlen sore Lord Arlen struck the very next blow and Matty no more And then Arlen took his wife and he sat her on his knee Saying "Who do you the best of us, Matty Groves or me?" And then up his own dear wife, never heard to speak so free "I'd rather a kiss dead Matty's lips than you or your finery"
Arlen he jumped up and loudly he did bawl He struck his wife right the heart and pinned her against the wall "A grave, a grave," Lord Arlen cried, "to put these in But my lady at the top for she was of noble kin"