Famous Flower Of Serving Man lyrics

My mother did me deadly spite

For she sent thieves in the dark of night

Put my servants all to flight

They robbed my bower they slew my knight

They couldn't do to me no harm

So they slew my baby in my arm

Left me naught to wrap him in

But the bloody sheet that he lay in

They left me naught to dig his grave

But the bloody sword that slew my babe

All alone the grave I made

And all alone the tears I shed

And all alone the bell I rang

And all alone the psalm I sang

I leaned my head all against a block

And there I cut my lovely locks

I cut my locks and I changed my name

From Fair Eleanor to Sweet William

Went to court to serve my king

As the famous flower of serving men

So well I served my lord, the king

That he made me his chamberlain

He loved me as his son

The famous flower of serving men

Oh oft time he'd look at me and smile

So swift his heart I did beguile

And he blessed the day that I became

The famous flower of serving men

But all alone in my bed at e'en

Oh there I dreamed a dreadful dream

I saw my bed swim with blood

And I saw the thieves all around my head

Our king has to the hunting gone

He's ta'en no lords nor gentlemen

He's left me there to guard his home

The famous flower of serving men

Our king he rode the wood all around

He stayed all day but nothing found

And as he rode himself alone

It's there he saw the milk white hind

Oh the hind she broke, the hind she flew

The hind she trampled the brambles through

First she'd mount, then she'd sound

Sometimes before, sometimes behind

Oh what is this, how can it be?

Such a hind as this I ne'er did see

Such a hind as this was never born

I fear she'll do me deadly harm

And long, long did the great horse turn

For to save his lord from branch and thorn

And but long e'er the day was o'er

It tangled all in his yellow hair

All in the glade the hind drew nigh

And the sun grew bright all in their eye

And he sprang down, sword drew

She vanished there all from his view

And all around the grass was green

And all around where a grave was seen

And he sat himself all on the stone

Great weariness it seized him on

Great silence hung from tree to sky

The woods grew still, the sun on fire

As through the woods the dove he came

As through the wood he made his moan

Oh, the dove, he sat down on a stone

So sweet he looked, so soft he sang

"Alas the day my love became

The famous flower of serving men"

The bloody tears they fell as rain

As still he sat and still he sang

"Alas the day my love became

The famous flower of serving men"

Our king cried out, and he wept full sore

So loud unto the dove he did call

"Oh pretty bird, come sing it plain"

"Oh it was her mother's deadly spite

For she sent thieves in the dark of the night

They come to rob, they come to slay

They made their sport, they went their way

"And don't you think that her heart was sore

As she laid the mould on his yellow hair

And don't you think her heart was woe

As she turned her back away to go

"And how she wept as she changed her name

From Fair Eleanor to Sweet William

Went to court to serve her king

As the famous flower of serving men"

Oh the bloody tears they lay all around

He's mounted up and away he's gone

And one thought come to his mind

The thought of her that was a man

And as he rode himself alone

A dreadful oath he there has sworn

And that he would hunt her mother down

As he would hunt the wildwood swine

For there's four and twenty ladies all

And they're all playing at the ball

But fairer than all of them

Is the famous flower of serving men

Oh he's rode him into his hall

And he's rode in among them all

He's lifted her to his saddle brim

And there he's kissed her cheek and chin

His nobles stood and they stretched their eyes

The ladies took to their fans and smiled

For such a strange homecoming

No gentleman had ever seen

And he has sent his nobles all

Unto her mother they have gone

They've ta'en her that's did such wrong

They've laid her down in prison strong

And he's brought men up from the corn

And he's sent men down to the thorn

All for to build the bonfire high

All for to set her mother by

All bonny sang the morning thrush

All where he sat in yonder bush

But louder did her mother cry

In the bonfire where she burned close by

For there she stood all among the thorn

And there she sang her deadly song

"Alas the day that she became

The famous flower of serving men"

For the fire took first all on her cheek

And then it took all on her chin

It spat and rang in her yellow hair

And soon there was no life left in

• Artist:Martin Carthy
• Album:Shearwater (1972)