Verse 

G               C 
It fell upon a holy-day 
   G              
As many in the year,  
G               C 
Musgrave to the church did go  
   G        C      G 
to see fine ladies there  

Verse 

G                        C 
And some were dressed in velvet red  
    G 
and some in velvet pale  
    G                 C 
And then in came Lord Barnard's wife,  
    G       C          G 
The fairest among them all.  

Verse 

G                  C 
She cast an eye on Little Musgrave,  
     G 
full bright as the summer sun;  
                   C 
Said Musgrave unto himself  
      G      C            G 
"This lady's heart have I won."  

Verse 

G                C 
I have loved you fair lady  
    G 
for long and many's the day  
    G                C 
and I have loved you little Musgrave  
       G       C        G 
though never a word did say  

Verse 

G                  C 
'I have a bower at Bucklesfordberry,  
G 
It's me hearts delight  
G                  C 
I'll take you back there with me  
          G         C        G 
If you'll lie in my arms all night.'  

Verse 

    G                        C 
But standing by was a little footpage,  
         G      
From the lady's coach he ran.  
 G                C 
'Although I am my lady's page,  
  G       C         G 
I am Lord Barnard's man.  

Verse 

      G             C 
'Lord Barnard shall know of this,  
        G 
Whether I sink or swim;'  
    G              c 
And everywhere the bridges were broke,  
     G          C        G 
He'd enter the water and swim.  

Verse 

  G                C 
" Lord Barnard, my Lord Barnard,  
    G               
you are a man of life,  
    G                C 
but Musgrave he's at Bucklesfordberry,  
G                C      G 
Asleep with your wedded wife.'  

Verse 

G                     C 
'If this be true, me little footpage,  
     G 
This thing that you tell me,  
        G       C 
All the gold in Bucklesford Berry  
G            C       G 
Gladly I'll give to thee.  

Verse 

G                            C 
'But if this be a lie, thou little foot page,  
G 
This thing that you tell me,  
         G               C 
From the highest tree in Bucklesfordberry,  
G          C     G 
Hanged you shall be.'  

Verse 

    G             C 
"Go saddle me the black he said  
    G 
go saddle me the grey  
    G                   C 
and sound you not your horns," he said  
 G        C          G 
"lest our coming you betray"  

Verse 

G                      C 
But there was a man in Lord Barnard's train  
     G 
Who loved the little Musgrave  
       G                   C 
and he blew his horn both loud and shrill  
G      C         G 
'Away, Musgrave, away.' 

Verse 

G                   C 
'I think I hear the morning cock,  
   G                 
I think I hear the jay;  
G                   C 
I think I hear Lord Barnard's men,  
      G       C   G 
And I wish I was away.'  

Verse 

G                           C 
'Lie still, lie still, thou Little Musgrave,  
    G                 
And hug me from the cold; 
      G      C  
'It's only a shepherd's boy,  
   G           C         G 
A-bringing his flock to fold.  

Verse 
    G              C 
'Is not your hawk upon it's perch?  
      G 
Your steed eats oats and hay;  
    G              C 
And You've a lady in your arms,  
    G         C  G 
And yet you'd go away?'  

Verse 

        G                      C 
So he's turned around and he's kissed her twice  
    G 
and then they fell asleep  
      G              C 
when they awoke Lord Barnard's Men  
     G        C        G 
were standing at their feet.  

Verse 

G                   C 
"How do you like me bed?" he said, and  
G                    
"How do you like me sheets?"  
     G                  C 
"And how do you like me fair lady ,  
     G           C    G 
that lies in you arms asleep?"  

Verse 

      G                C 
"It's well I like your bed," he said  
G 
" and great it gives me pain,  
G                     C 
I would gladly give a hundred pounds  
   G      C     G 
to be on yonder plain.'  

Verse 

   G                 C 
So slowly, so slowly he got up 
   G 
So slowly he put on 
G      C 
Slowly down the stairs 
G        C     G 
Thinking to be slain. 

Verse 

G                      C 
Rise up rise up,little Musgrave,  
G 
rise up and then put on; 
   G                    C  
It shall not be said in fair Ireland  
       G        C     G 
that I slayed a naked man.  


Verse 

G                     C 
'There are two swords down at my side,  
G 
and dear they cost my purse;  
G                      C 
And you shall have the best of them,  
    G       C       G 
And I will take the worse.'  

Verse 

G                   C 
The first rook that Musgrave struck  
   G 
It hurt Lord Barnard sore;  
        G                    C 
But the next rook that Lord Barnard struck,  
       G        C            G 
Little Musgrave ne'er struck more.  

Verse 

G           C 
Then up and spake the fair lady,  
G 
from on her bed she lay.'  
 G                            C 
'Although you're dead, Little Musgrave, 
G         C        G  
Still for you I"ll pray.  

Verse 
G                    C 
"How do you like his cheek?" he said, and  
G                    
"how do you like his chin?  
    G                   C 
and how do you like his dead body,  
    G           C    G 
now there's no life within."  

Verse 

G                      C 
"It's well I like his cheek" she said,  
     G 
"and more I want his chin,  
     G                C 
It's more I love his dead body, than  
G        C        G 
all your kith and kin."  

Verse 

G                  C 
He's taken out his long,long sword,  
   G             
to strike the mortal blow,  
    G                         C 
and through, and through the lady's heart  
    G          C      G 
the cold steel it did go  

Verse 

G                        C 
'A grave, a grave,' Lord Barnard cried,  
G 
'To put these lovers in;  
    G                  C 
But put my lady on the upper half,  
        G         C      G 
For she came from better kin.'  

Verse 

G                         C 
'For I've just killed the finest knight  
     G            
That ever rode a steed;  
    G                    C 
And I've just slain the fairest lady  
     G          C       G 
That ever did a woman's deed."  

Verse 

G              C 
It fell upon a holy-day  
    G                 
As many's in the year, 
G               C  
Musgrave to the church did go 
   G        C       G 
to see fine ladies there