Johnny arose on a May morning
Called for water to wash his hands
'Come loose to me my twa gray hounds
Lying bound in iron bands, bands
That lie bound in iron bands'
And when Johnny's mother she heard of this
Her hands in dule she wrang
'Johnny for your venison
Tae the greenwood dinnae gang, gang
Tae the greenwood dinnae gang'
'Oh we have plenty of the white bread
And of the good red wine
Johnny for your venison
Tae the greenwood dinnae gang, gang
Tae the greenwood dinnae gang'
Ah but Johnny has bre'kit his good bent bow
His arrows one by one
He is on to the gay greenwood
For to bring the dun deer down, down
For to bring the dun deer down
And as they gae'd down by Merrymoss
Down among yon scroggs
There they spied the dun deer lie
At the back of a bush o' broom, broom
At the back of a bush o' broom
Now Johnny shot and the dun deer lap
He wounded her in the side
Between the water and the wood
Oh the gray hounds laid her pride, pride
Oh, the gray hounds laid her pride
And they ate so much of the good venison
And drank so much of the blood
Johnny and his twa gray hounds
Lay asleep as they'd been dead, dead
Lay asleep as they'd been dead
(Instrumental)
And on come this silly old man
And an ill death may he d'e
He's on to the Seven Foresters
For to tell what he did see, see
For to tell what he did see
'Oh as a come down by Merrymoss
Down among yon scroggs
The bonniest lad that e're I saw
Lay asleep between twa dogs, dogs
Lay asleep between twa dogs'
'And the coat he wore upon his back
Was of the Lincoln twine
The stock he wore about his neck
It was fur and precious stone, stone
It was fur and precious stone'
'And the buttons he wore upon his vest
Were of the gold so good
And the twa gray hounds he lay between
Ah their mouths all red with blood, blood
Aye, their mouths all red with blood!'
And then out spoke the First Forester
An angry man was he
'If this be Johnny O'Bredislee
My faith, we'll gar him d'e, d'e
Ah my faith, we'll gar him d'e'
And then out spoke the Second Forester
His sister's son was he
'If this be Johnny O'Bredislee
We'd better let him be, be
Oh, we'd better let him be'
And then out spoke the Seventh Forester
Lord among them all
'If this be Johnny O'Bredislee
We'll gang and gar him fall, fall
Aye, we'll gang and gar him fall!'
And the first shot that the Foresters fired
It wounded him in the knee
And the second shot that the Foresters fired
Oh the red blood blinded his e'e, e'e
Oh, the red blood blinded his e'e
And then Johnny woke from out his sleep
An angry man was he
'Ah you couldn't roused me from my dream
Ere the red blood blinded my e'e, e'e
Ere, the red blood blinded my e'e'
'But if my bow break true as it used to do
My courage don'na fail
I'll mak' ya dearly rue the day
That ya come to the Dinsdale Hill, Hill
That ya come to the Dinsdale Hill
And he set his back against an oak
His foot against a thorn
He's shot the Seven Foresters
He's shot them all and one, one
Aye, he's killed them all and one!
Johnny's good bent bow is broke
His twa gray hounds lie slain
Johnny sleeps in Merrymoss
And his hunting days are done, done
Aye, his hunting days are done