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 her eyes about 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 sleep with you 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 servant who was standing by and what was said He swore Lord Arlen he would know before the sun set And in his hurry to carry the news, he bent his and ran And when he came to the broad millstream, he off his shoes and he swam
Little Matty Groves, he lay down and took a sleep When he awoke, Lord Arlen was at his feet Saying "How do you 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 like sheets But better I like your gay who lies in my arms asleep" "Well, get up, get up," Lord cried, "get up as quick as you can It'll never be in fair England that I slew a naked man" "Oh, I get up, I won't get up, I can't get up for my life For you two long beaten swords and I not a pocket knife" "Well it's 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 strike the very first blow and strike it like a man I strike the very next blow and I'll kill you if I can"
So Matty the very first blow and he hurt Lord Arlen sore Lord Arlen struck the next 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 of us, Matty Groves or me?" And then up spoke his own dear wife, never heard to speak so "I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips you or your finery"
Arlen he jumped up and loudly he did bawl He struck his wife right through the heart and pinned her 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"