Martinmas Time - Anne Briggs

It fell up on Martinmas time

When snow lay on the borders,

There came a troop of soldiers here

To take up their winter quarters.

Chorus (after each verse):

With me right fol-de-li-dle ly-die li-dle ly-dee-o

With me right fol-de-li-dle ly-dee la-ry.

They rode up and they rode down

And they rode over the border.

There they met a fair pretty girl

And she was a farmer’s daughter.

They made her swear a solemn oath

With a salt tear in her eye, oh,

That she would call at their quarter gates

When no-one did her spy, oh.

So she goes to the barber shop

To the barber shop went soon, oh.

She’s made him cut her fine yellow hair

As short as any dragoon, oh.

Then she goes to the tailor shop

And dresses in soldier’s clothes, oh.

A pair of pistols down by her side

And a nice little boy was she, oh.

When she came to the quarter gates,

It’s loud, loud she did call, oh,

«There comes a troop of soldiers here

And we must have lodgings all, oh!»

The quartermaster he comes out,

He gives her half a crown, oh:

«Go and find lodgings for yourself,

For here there is no room, oh.»

But she drew nearer to the gates

And louder she did call, oh:

«Room, room, you gentlemen,

We must have lodgings all, oh!»

The quartermaster he comes out,

He gives her eighteen pence, oh:

«Go and find lodgings in the town

For tonight there comes a wench, oh.»

She’s pulled the garters from her legs,

The ribbons from her hair, oh.

She’s tied them 'round the quarter gates

As a token she’d been there, oh.

She drew a whistle from her side,

And blew it loud and shrill, oh:

«You're all very free with your eighteen pence,

But you’re not for a girl at all, oh.»

And when they knew that it was her

They tried to overtake her.

She’s clapped her spurs to her horse’s side

And she’s galloped home a maiden.