it fell upon a holy day as many in the year musgrave to the church did go to see fine ladies there and some were dressed in velvet red and some in velvet pale then came lord barnard s wife the fairest mongst them all she cast an eye on the little musgrave as bright as summer s sun said musgrave unto himself this lady s heart i ve won i have loved you fair lady full long and many s the day and i have loved you little musgrave and never a word did say i ve a bower in bucklesfordbury it s my heart s delight i ll take you back there with me if you ll lie in me arms tonight but standing by was a little footpage from the lady s coach he ran although i am a lady s page i am lord barnard s man and milord barnard will hear of this oh whether i sink or swim everywhere the bridge was broke he d enter the water and swim oh milord barnard milord barnard you are a man of life but musgrave he s at bucklesfordbury asleep with your wedded wife if this be true me little footpage this thing that you tell me all the gold in bucklesfordbury i gladly will give to thee but if this be a lie me little footpage this thing that you tell me from the highest tree in bucklesfordbury hanged you will be go saddle me the black he said go saddle me the gray and sound ye not your horns he said lest our coming be betrayed but there was a man in lord barnard s thrain who loved the little musgrave he blew his horn both loud and shrill away musgrave away i think i hear the morning cock i think i hear the jay i think i hear lord barnard s men i wish i was away lie still lie still me little musgrave hug me from the cold it s nothing but a shepherd lad a bringing his flock to fold is not your hawk upon it s perch your steed eats oats and hay and you a lady in your arms and yet you d go away he s turned her around and he s kissed her twice and then they fell asleep when they awoke lord barnard s men were standing at their feet how do ye like me bed he said and how do you like me sheets how do you like me fair lady that lies in your arms asleep it s well i like your bed he said and great it gives me pain i d gladly give a hundred pound to be on yonder plain rise up rise up little musgrave rise up and then put on it ll not be said in this country i slayed a naked man so slowly so slowly he got up so slowly he put on slowly down the stairs thinking to be slain there are two swords down by my side and dear they cost me purse you can have the best of them and i will take the worst and the first stroke that little musgrave stroke it hurt lord barnard sore but the next stroke lord barnard stroke little musgrave ne er stroke more and then up spoke the lady fair from the bed whereon she lay although you re dead me little musgrave still for you i ll pray how do you like his cheeks he said how do you like his chin how do you like his dead body now there s no life within it s more i like his cheeks she cried and more i want his chin it s more i love that dead body than all your kith and kin he s taken out his long long sword to strike the mortal blow through and through the lady s heart the cold steel it did go a grave a grave lord barnard cried to put these lovers in with me lady on the upper hand she came from better kin for i ve just killed the finest knight that ever rode a steed and i ve just killed the finest lady that ever did a woman s deed it fell upon a holy day as many s in the year musgrave to the church did go to see fine ladies there