A holiday, a holiday, and the first one of the 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 little Groves, walking in the crowd "Come home with me, Matty Groves, come home with me tonight Come home with me, Matty Groves, and sleep with me till light" "Oh, I can't home, I won't come home and sleep with you tonight By the rings on your fingers I can tell you are my 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 servant who was standing by and 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 when he came to the broad millstream, he took off his shoes and he
Little Matty Groves, he lay down and took a sleep When he awoke, Arlen was standing 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 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 in fair England that I slew a naked man" "Oh, I can't get up, I won't get up, I get up for my life For you two long beaten swords and I not a pocket knife" "Well it's true I have two swords and they cost me deep in the purse But you have the better of them 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 blow and kill you if I can"
So Matty struck the very first blow and he hurt Lord Arlen Lord Arlen struck the next blow and Matty struck no more And Lord 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 spoke his own dear wife, never to speak so free "I'd rather a kiss dead Matty's lips than you or your finery"
Lord Arlen he jumped up and loudly he did He his wife right through the heart and pinned her against the wall "A grave, a grave," Lord cried, "to put these lovers in But my lady at the top for she was of noble kin"