Pub Songs #17: Mongolian Monkey Devil of Tam Lin’s Ballad

Oct 15, 2006 Podcasts

Back with lots of new gigs with Brobdingnagian Bards. Plus I ponder how to start my own Renaissance Festival.

Songs:

Notes:

Whiskey, You're the Devil
words and music traditional

Whiskey, you're the devil, you're leadin' me astray
Over hills and mountains and to Americae
You're sweeter, stronger, decenter, you're spunkier than tae
O whiskey, you're my darlin' drunk or sober

Oh, now, brave boys, we're off to march
And off to Portugal and Spain
The drums are beating, the banners flying,
The devil ahome will ye come tonight
Love, fare thee well,
With me tiddley idle doobie da be da
Me tiddley idle doobie da be da,
Me right full toor a laddie
Oh! There's whiskey in the jar.

The French are fighting proudly,
Men dying hot and couldly
Gives ev'ry man his flask of powder,
Love, fare thee well,
With me tiddley idle doobie da be da
Me tiddley idle doobie da be da,
Me right full toor a laddie
Oh! There's whiskey in the jar.

Said the mother: “Do not wrong me,
Don't take me daughter from me
For if you do I will torment you,
And after death me ghost will haunt you
Love, fare thee well,
With me tiddley idle doobie da be da
Me tiddley idle doobie da be da,
Me right full toor a laddie
Oh! There's whiskey in the jar.

Monkeys Over Mongolia
words and music Marc Gunn

There's an airplane over Mongolia
Mongolia, Mongolia
There's an airplane over Mongolia
And I don't know why it's gone.

Some monkeys hijacked that airplane
Oh that airplane, yes that airplane
Some monkeys hijacked that airplane
And they're flying it straight from Spain

Through the wind and the snow and violent rain
The violent rain, the greenish rain
Through the wind and the snow and violent rain
That blew from an elephant's brain.

As the airplane crashes down outside
Yes, down outside, oh down outside
As the airplanes crashes down outside
They whistle su-i-cide… is dangerous

Mongolia, Mongolia
There's an airplane over Mongolia
And I don't know why it's gone.

Tam Lin
words and music traditional

Oh, I forbid you maidens all
That wear gold in your hair
To come or go by Carterhaugh
For young Tam Lin is there, is there,
For young Tam Lin is there.

For there's none that go by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a pledge
They either leave their mantles green
Or else their maidenhead, it's said,
Or else their maidenhead.

Fair Janet's tied her kirtle green
A bit above her knee
And she has gone to Carterhaugh
As fast as go can she, can she,
As fast as go can she.

And she hadn't pulled a single rose,
A rose but only one
Well up then came a tall young man
Says “Lady, pull no more, no more,
Oh, Lady, pull no more.”

“How dare you pull a rose,” he says,
“How dare you break the tree
And how dare you come to Carterhaugh
Without command from me, from me,
Without command from me.”

“Carterhaugh, it is my own.
My father gave it to me.
And I'll come and go”, young Janet says,
“And ask no leave of thee, of thee,
Oh, I'll ask no leave of thee.”

Well he's taken her by the waist so small
Down to where the grass grows so green
And what they did, I just can't say
But he never once asked her leave, her leave,
Oh, He never once asked her leave.

Fair Janet's tied her kirtle green
A bit above her knee
And she has to her father gone
As fast as go can she, can she,
Oh, as fast as go can she.

Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing all at chance
Well in there came young Janet fair
As green as any glass, any glass
Oh, as green as any glass,

And up then spoke an old faced knight
Watching o'er the game,
“Alas my young poor girl for thee
We will take the blame, take the blame,
Oh, we will take the blame.”

“Oh, hold your tongue, you old faced knight
Some ill death may you die.
I'll father my child on whom I will
I'll father none on thee, be sure,
I'll father none on thee.”

And up then spoke her father dear,
And he spoke meek and mild,
“Alas my young poor daughter dear,
I think you go with child, with child,
Oh, I think you go with child.”

“If that be so,” Janet says,
“Myself shall bear the blame
For there's never a knight in all your court
Will get the baby's name, name,
Oh, will get the baby's name.”

“For if my love were an earthly knight
As he is an elven grey
I'd never change my own true love
For any knight you have, you have,
Oh, for any knight you have.”

Well up then spoke her mother dear,
She meant to do her harm,
“There grows an herb in Carterhaugh
Will twine you and the bairn, the bairn
Oh will twine you and the bairn.”

Fair Janet tied her kirtle green
A bit above her knee
And she has gone to Carterhaugh
As fast as go can she, can she,
As fast as go can she.

She hadn't pulled a single leaf,
A leaf but only one
Well, up then came a young Tam Lin
Says, “Lady pull no more, pull no more,
Oh lady pull no more.”

“How dare you pull a leaf,” he says
“How dare you break the tree.
And how dare you harm the babe,” says he,
“That lies twixt you and me, and me,
That lies twixt you and me.”

“Oh, tell me the truth, Tam Lin,” she says,
“If a mortal man you be.”
“I'll tell you the truth, fair Janet,” says he,
“I was christened as good as thee, as thee,
I was christened as good as thee.”

“But as I rode out one better winter's day
When from my horse I fell
The Queen of Elfland she took me
In yon green hill to dwell, to dwell,
In yon green hill to dwell.”

“And at the end of seven years
She pays a tithe to hell
And I so fair and full of flesh
And fear it be myself, myself,
Oh, I fear it be myself.”

“But tonight is Hallowe'en
And the morn is hallow day
And win me, win me and ye will
For well I wish you may, you may
Oh, well I wish you may.”

“For at the murk and midnight hour
The fairie folk will ride
And they that would their true love win
At Miles Cross they must hide, must hide,
Oh, at Miles Cross they must hide.”

“Three companies will pass by the first on horses black
And then will pass the brown
And when you see the milk white stead
You must pull the rider down, down,
Oh, you must pull the rider down.”

“But then they'll change me, oh, in your arms
Into many a things so wild
But hold me fast and fear me not.
I'm the father of your child, you know,
I'm the father of your child.”

Janet's tied her kirtle green
A bit above her knee
And she has to the crossroads gone
As fast as go can she, can she,
Oh, as fast as go can she.

The cold and gloom was the way
And eerie was the night
And a crescent moon hung in the sky
And shown a ghostly white, so bright,
Oh, it shown a ghostly white.

Just at the murk and midnight hour
She heard the bridles ring
And that poor girl was afeared at that
As any mortal thing, any thing,
Oh as any mortal thing.

Oh three companies did ride by the first on horses black
And then there came the brown
And when she saw the milk white stead
She pulled the rider down, down,
Oh, she pulled the rider down.

And thunder rolled and roared about
And the stars burned bright as day
And the Queen of Elfland she spun round
Crying, “Young Tam Lin's away, away
Oh, young Tam Lin's away.”

And in a flash they changed, oh, in her arms
Into a lizard wild
But she held him fast and feared him not
He was the father of her child, child,
Oh, he was the father of her child.

And in a flash, they changed him, oh, in her arms
Into a writhing snake
But she held him fast and feared him not
He was one of God's own make, she knew,
Oh, he was one of God's own make.

And in a flash, they changed him, oh, in her arms
To a red hot block of iron
But she held him fast and feared him not
And it did to her no harm, no harm,
And it did to her no harm.

And they they changed him, oh, in her arms
Into a naked knight
And she wrapped him in her cloak so bold
And kept him out of site, site,
Oh, she kept him out of site.

But up then spoke the Fairy Queen,
And fire burned in her eye,
“You've stolen away the bonniest knight
In all my company, young girl,
Oh, in all my company.”

“And what I know this knight Tam Lin
Had I but known before
I'd have taken out your heart of flesh
And put in one of stone, of stone,
I'd have put in one of stone.”

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