come all you fair and tender maidens take warning how you court your man they re like a star on a summer s morning they ll first appear and then they re gone if i had known before i courted i never would have courted none i d locked my heart in a chest of silver and fastened it up with a golden chain do you remember our days of courting when your head was upon my breast you could make me believe by the falling of your arms that the sun rose in the west i wish i was a little swallow and i had wings and could fly so high i d fly to the arms of my false true lover and there i d be covered and to die but i am not a little swallow i have no wing and i can t fly i ll sit and sing in sorrow and try to pass my troubles by come all you fair and tender maidens take warning how you court your man they re like some star on a summer s morning they ll first appear and then they re gone