X:1
B:Palmer, Roy, 1998, A Book of British Ballads, Llanerch
S:Alexander Crawford, of Leck, Ballymoney
F:http://www.folkinfo.org/songs
T:Lambkin
M:3/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:C
C2 CD EC |D2 C2 (EF) |G2 G2 A2 |B4
w:Lamb-kin, the fin-est ma-son that_ e'er laid a stone,
 C2 |C2 (CD) (EC) |D2 C2 CD |E2 C2 A,2 |C4
w:He built a_ lord's_ man-sion and for pay-ment got none.
(EG) |c2 (cd) (ec) |d2 c2 (EG) |c2 (cd) (ec) |d4
w:He_ built it_ with-*out and he_ sealed it_ with-*in
EG c2 c2 G2 |A2 G2 CD |E2 (DC) A,2 |A,4 z2 |]
w:And he made a false win-dow for him-self to_ get in
W:Lambkin, the finest mason that e'er laid a stone,
W:He built a lord"s mansion and for payment got none.
W:He built it without and he sealed it within,
W:And he made a false window for himself to get in.
W:
W:His lordship going to London once upon a time,
W:The Lambkin though fit to commit his great crime.
W:"I fear the Lambkin", the lady did say;
W:"I fear the Lambkin when your lordship"s away."
W:
W:"I fear not the Lambkin, nor any of his kind,
W:When my gates are well barred and my windows pinned down."
W:So in stepped the Lambkin in the middle of the night,
W:Without coal or candle to show him the light.
W:
W:"Where is his lordship?" then said the Lambkin.
W:"He's in London buying pearls," said the fals nurse to him.
W:"Where's her ladyship?" said the Lambkin.
W:"She's in her chamber sleeping," says the false nurse to him.
W:
W:"How will I get at her?" says the Lambkin.
W:"stab the baby in the cradle," says the false nurse to him.
W:"It's a pity, it's a pity," said the Lambkin.
W:"No pity, no pity," says the false nurse to him.
W:
W:So the Lambkin he rocked and the false nurse she sung,
W:And with a small pen-knife he dabbed now and then.
W:So the Lambkin he rocked and the false nurse she sung,
W:And the tearing of the cradle made the blood cold to run.
W:
W:"Please my child, nurse; please him with the keys";
W:"He won't be pleased, madam, you may do as you please."
W:"Please my child, nurse, please him with the bell";
W:"He won't be pleased madam, till you come down yourself."
W:
W:"How can I come down, as my candle is out,
W:And the room is so dark that I cannot move about?"
W:"You have three golden mantles as bright as the sun;
W:Throw one of them round you, it will show you light down."
W:
W:As soon as her ladyship entered the stairs,
W:So ready was the Lambkin to catch her with his snares.
W:"Good morrow, good morrow," says the Lambkin;
W:"Good morrow," says the lady to him.
W:
W:"Where is his lordship?" says the Lambkin,
W:"He's in London buying pealrs for my lying-in."
W:"You never will enjoy them," says the Lambkin;
W:"The more is the pity," says the lady to him.
W:
W:"Spare my life, Lambjin, spare it but one day;
W:I will give you as much gold as you can carry away."
W:"If you give me as much gold as I could heap in a sack,
W:I could not keep my pen-knife from your lily-white neck."
W:
W:"Spare my life, Lambkin, spare it but one hour;
W:"I'll give you my daughter, Bessie, your bride for to be."
W:"Bring down your daughter, Bessie, she's both neat and trim,
W:With a silver basin to hold your life-blood in."
W:
W:"Oh, no, no; that, Lambkin, that would never do;
W:If you say that, then Bessie will never be for you.
W:Bessie, lovely Bessie, stay up in your room.
W:Watch for your father coming home, and that will be soon."
W:
W:Bessie sat watching that cold winter night,
W:With her father coming home with his men at daylight.
W:"Father, dear father, what kept you so long?
W:Your lady is murdered ad your own darling son.
W:
W:"There is blood in the kitchen, there is blood in the hall;
W:But the blood of my mamma is the worst blood of all.
W:For the Lambkin will be hung high up on a tree,
W:And the false nurse will be burned, such a villian was she."