There Is An Ale House- Ash (Som) 1908 Sharp MS
[From: Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) (CJS2/10/1898). After stanza 3 (Constant Lady) come stanzas from the Pitts "Sheffield Park" which are derived from Constant Lady.
R. Matteson 2017]
There Is An Ale House- sung by Charles Ash of Crowcombe, Somerset on 15 September, 1908. Collector: Cecil J. Sharp
There is an ale house in our town,
Where my love he goes and sit himself down
And take some other girl on his knee,
And don't you think it's a grief to me?
A grief to me and I'll tell you why
Because she's got more gold than I
Her gold will waste and her beauty will pass
And she will come like me at last.
All down in the meadows and she did run
A gathering flowers all as they sprung
Of every sort she plucked she pulled
Until she had her apron full.
When she went home and went to bed
She lay herself down and nothing said
Now mistress, she came unto her bedside
What's the matter with you my maid?
O mistress O mistress if you did know
The pain and sorrows I undergo
Clap your right hand on my left breast
My panting heart can take no rest
She had green leaves all for her bed
And a flowery pillow to lay down her head
She lay herself down and never word spoke
At last the poor girl's heart got broke
What a silly young girl O then she must be
To think that I love no one but she
Man was not made for one alone
I take a delight to hear her moan.