There lived a wife in
Arsh as well and a wealthy wife is she
She'd three fine and stalwart sons
and sent them o 'er the sea
They'd not been gone a week and a
week'd been barely one
When death sweeping over the
land took them one by one
And they'd not been gone a week,
a wink but barely three
When word come to that young girl,
a babe she'd never see
I wish the wind would nev er blow,
no fish swim in the flood
Till my darling babes are home,
they're home in flesh and blood
And there about the mountain mass,
the knights along the knock,
Heard three kids come to her door,
their hats were made of bark,
And the tree never grew in any ditch,
nor down by any wall.
But at the gates of paradise,
be strong and true to all
Blow out the fire, my maidens,
or bring wa ter from the well
Since my darling babes are home,
they come home safe and well
So she has laid the table with
bread and with wine
Come eat and drink, my darling babes,
Eat and drink, and mime.
We may not eat your bread, mother,
Nor may we drink your wine,
For cold death is lord of all,
To him we must resign.
The green grass is at our head,
And the clay is at our feet,
And your tears come tumbling down,
And wet our whining sheet.
So she has made the bed for them,
spread the milk white sheet
She's laid it all with cloth of gold
to see if they could sleep
And up and crew the red cock,
up and crew the grey
And the youngest to the eld est says,
brother we must away
And the cock had not crowed once
and clapped his wings for day
When the eldest to the youngest says,
Brother, we must away
For the cock crowed the day
Dawn, the chonnering wurrum shrie
And if we're missed
out of our place
Then, pain, we must bide
Farewell, farewell, my mother dear
Farewell to barn and fire
Oh, farewell, the sweet young girl
Kindling her mother's fire
you