A holiday, a holiday, and the one of the year Lord DArlen's wife into the church, the for to hear.
And when the it was done, she cast her eyes about And there she saw little Groves, walking in the crowd "Come with me, little Matty Groves, come home with me tonight Come home with me, little Matty Groves, and sleep me till light" "Oh, I can't come home, I won't come and sleep with you tonight By the rings on fingers I can tell you are my master's wife" "But if I am Lord Arlen 's wife, 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 before the sun set And in his to carry the news, he bent his breast and ran And when he came to the millstream, he took off his shoes and he swam
Little Matty Groves, he lay and took a little sleep When he awoke, Lord Arlen was at his feet Saying "How do you like my feather bed and how do you my sheets How do you like my who lies in your arms asleep?" "Oh, well I like your feather bed and well I like sheets But I like your lady gay who lies in my arms asleep" "Well, get up, get up," Lord Arlen cried, "get up as as you can It'll never be said in fair England that I slew a man" "Oh, I get up, I won't 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 true I have two beaten swords and they cost me in the purse But you will have the better of them and I have the worse And you will strike the very blow and strike it like a man I strike the very 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 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 heard to so free "I'd rather a kiss from Matty's lips than you or your finery"
Lord Arlen he jumped up and he did bawl He struck his wife right through the 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"