Butcher Boy

Cat. #0797 (MFH #37) - As sung by Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on June 25, 1969

VERSE 1
In London city, where I did dwell
A butcher boy I loved so well
Courted me, my life away
An' with me now he will not stay

VERSE 2
There lives a girl in that same town
Where he goes there an' hangs around
He takes this girl upon his knee
N' he tells to her, that he don't love me

VERSE 3
If you want'a know why I'll tell you why
Because she has more gold than I
Her gold may rust an' silver fly
She'll see th day she's poor as I

VERSE 4
She went upstairs t' make her bed
Nothing to her Mother, she said
She took a chair an' set right down
With pen an' ink she wrote it down

VERSE 5
Father come home th door he broke
He found her hang'n by a rope
He took his knife n' cut 'er down
On 'er bossom these words he found

VERSE 6
Go dig my grave both wide an' deep
Place a marble stone at my head n' feet
And on my breast, place a snowy white dove
To show to th world that I died for love

Variants