X:1
T:The Thresher and the Squire
B:Broadwood, Lucy, 1893, English County Songs, Leadenhall Press, London
S:Bells' "Songs of the Peasantry"
Z:Lucy Broadwood
F:http://www.folkinfo.org/songs
M:4/4     %Meter
L:1/8     %
K:G
B,2 |E2 E2 (E2{FE}D2) |G2 G2 A2 (GA) |B3 A G2 B,2 | D6
w:'Tis of a bold_ thresh-er man lived_ down the coun-try side,
B,2 |E2 E2 (EF/E/) D2 |G2 G2 (A2GA) |B3 B AG E2 | {F}E4 z2
w:Who for his wife__ and fa-mi-ly__ dai-ly did_ pro-vide.
B2 |d2 B2 (cB) (AG) |A2 d2 B3 A |G2 E2 (ED) C2 | D4 z2
w: He'd six-teen in_ his_ fa-mi-ly and most of them_ were small;
 (GF) |E2 E2 E2 D2 |G2 G2 A2 (GA) |B2 (Ac/B/) (AG) E2 | HE6 |]
w:And_ by his dai-ly la-bour he pro_ vid-ed__ for_ them all
W:'Tis of a bold thresherman lived down by the country side,
W:Who for his wife and family daily did provide,
W:He'd sixteen in his family, and most of them were small;
W:And by his daily labour he provided for them all.
W:
W:As this poor man was returning from his labour one day.
W:He met a wealthy squire who thus to him did say;
W:"O thresherman! O thresherman! will you kindly tell to me
W:How you maintain your wife, and your large family?"
W:
W:"I arise, Sir, every morning, at the break of the day,
W:I work like a slave, all for the smallest of pay,
W:And from hedging or from ditching to the milking of a cow,
W:There's nothing comes amiss to me from the harrow to the plough.
W:
W:"When I go home at night, Sir, as tired as can be,
W:The youngest of my family he sits upon my knee;
W:And all the rest come prattling round me as I sing with joy,
W:And this is all the comfort that a poor man can enjoy.
W:
W:"There's my wife, gentle creature, as faithful as can be,
W:We live like two turtledoves and never disagree.
W:But still the times grow harder, and I am very poor,
W:I hardly know how to keep the wolf from the door."
W:
W:"Now since you have spoken so well of your wife,
W:I'll make you live happy the rest of your life,
W:Here's sixty acres of good land I'll freely give to thee,
W:To maintain your wife and your large family."