A holiday, a holiday, and the one of the year DArlen's wife came into the church, the for to hear.
And when the meeting it was done, she cast her about And there she saw little Matty Groves, in the crowd "Come home with me, little Matty Groves, come home with me Come home with me, little 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 Arlen 's wife, Lord Arlen's not at He is out in the far cornfields the yearlings home"
And a who was standing by and hearing what was said He swore Arlen he would know before the sun would set And in his to carry 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 took a little When he awoke, Lord Arlen was standing at his Saying "How do you like my bed and how do you like my sheets How do you like my lady who in your arms asleep?" "Oh, well I like feather bed and well I like your sheets But better I your lady gay who lies in my arms asleep" "Well, get up, get up," Lord cried, "get up as quick as you can It'll be said in fair England 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 beaten swords and I not a pocket knife" "Well it's true I have two beaten swords and they cost me in the purse But you will have the better of and I will have the worse And you will strike the first blow and strike 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 Lord Arlen sore Lord Arlen struck the very blow and Matty struck no more And then Lord took his wife and he sat her on his knee Saying "Who do you like the best of us, Matty or me?" And then up spoke his own wife, never heard to speak so free "I'd rather a kiss from Matty's lips than you or your finery"
Lord Arlen he jumped up and loudly he did He struck his wife right through the heart and her against the wall "A grave, a grave," Lord Arlen cried, "to put these in But bury my at the top for she was of noble kin"