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Sir Hugh, or The Jew's Daughter, or Hugh Of Lincoln, Showing The Cruelty Of A Jew's Daughter

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OriginalLITTLE SIR HUGH - Steeleye Span
SIR HUGH, OR THE JEW'S DAUGHTER, OR HUGH OF LINCOLN, SHOWING THE CRUELTY OF A JEW'S DAUGHTER

Four and twenty bonny boys
Were playing at the ba,
And by it came him sweet Sir Hugh,
And he playd oer them a’.

He kickd the ba with his right foot,
And catchd it wi his knee,
And throuch-and-thro the Jew’s window
He gard the bonny ba flee.

He’s doen him to the Jew’s castell,
And walkd it round about;
And there he saw the Jew’s daughter,
At the window looking out.

‘Throw down the ba, ye Jew’s daughter,
Throw down the ba to me!’
‘Never a bit,’ says the jew’s daughter,
‘Till up to me come ye.’

‘How will I come up? How can I come up?
How can I come to thee?
For as ye did to my auld father,
The same ye’ll do to me.’

She’s gane to her father’s garden,
And pu’d an apple red and green;
’Twas a’ to wyle him sweet Sir Hugh,
And to entice him in.

She’s led him in through ae dark door,
And sae has she thro nine;
She’s laid him on a dressing-table,
And stickit him like a swine.

And first came out the thick, thick blood,
And syne came out the thin,
And syne came out the bonny heart’s blood;
There was nae mair within.

She’s rowd him in a cake o lead,
Bade him lie still and sleep;
She’s thrown him in Our Lady’s draw-well,
Was fifty fathom deep.

When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a’ the bairns came hame,
When every lady gat hame her son,
The Lady Maisry gat nane.

She’s taen her mantle her about,
Her coffer by the hand,
And she’s gane out to seek her son,
And wanderd oer the land.

She’s doen her to the Jew’s castell,
Where a’ were fast asleep:
‘Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak.’

She’s doen her to the Jew’s garden,
Thought he had been gathering fruit:
‘Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak.’

She neard Our Lady’s deep draw-well,
Was fifty fathom deep:
‘Whareer ye be, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak.’

‘Gae hame, gae hame, my mither dear,
Prepare my winding-sheet,
And at the back o merry Lincoln
The morn I will you meet.’

Now Lady Maisry is gane hame,
Made him a winding sheet,
And at the back o merry Lincoln
The dead corpse did her meet.

And a’ the bells of merry Lincoln
Without men’s hands were rung,
And a’ the books o merry Lincoln
Were read without man’s tongue,
And neer was such a burial
Sin Adam’s days begun.
SIR HUGH, OR THE JEW'S DAUGHTER, OR HUGH OF LINCOLN, SHOWING THE CRUELTY OF A JEW'S DAUGHTER

“Mother, mother, make my bed,
Make for me a winding sheet.
Wrap me up in a cloak of gold,
See if I can sleep.”

Four and twenty bonny, bonny boys playing at the ball.
Along came little Sir Hugh,
he played with them all.
He kicked the ball very high,
he kicked the ball so low,
He kicked it over a castle wall
where no one dared to go.

Out came a lady gay,
she was dressed in green.
“Come in, come in little Sir Hugh,
fetch your ball again.”
“I won’t come in, I can’t come in
without my playmates all;
For if I should I know
you would cause my blood to fall.”

She took him by the milk white hand,
led him to the hall
Till they came to a stone chamber
where no one could hear him call.
She sat him on a golden chair,
she gave him sugar sweet,
She lay him on a dressing board
and stabbed him like a sheep.

Out came the thick thick blood,
out came the thin.
Out came the bonny heart’s blood
till there was none within.
She took him by the yellow hair
and also by the feet
She threw him in the old draw well
fifty fathoms deep.


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