Lord Lovell,
he stood at his castle gate
Combing his milk -wipes deep
Lady Nancy Bell, come a -ridin' by
Wishing her lover good speed,
good speed
And a wishin' her lover good speed
Where are you goin', Lord Lovell, she says
Where are you goin', says she
I'm goin' a -ridin' an d see,
he says
Strange countries for to see
To see, strange countries for to see
When will you be back,
Lord Lovell, she says
When will you be back, she,
in a year or two or three or more, and I'll return to thee,
to thee, and I'll return to thee.
He had not been gone but
a year and a day,
strange thoughts came in his head.
He thought he'd seen
Lady Nancy Bell
Asleep as she was dead, was dead,
Asleep as she was dead
He mounted on his milk -white steed
He rode to London town
And there he heard the bells
a -ringin' morning all around, around,
and a -mornin' all around.
Oh, what is the matter,
Lord Lovell, he says,
and who is dead, says he?
A lady is dead, Miss Nancy Bell,
they say she was kin to thee, to thee,
they say she was kin to thee
go open her coffin
Lord Lovell he says pull
down to me her shroud
that I may kiss her gay cold lips
and the tears come trinklin down down
and the tears come trinklin down
Go dig my grave, Lord Lovell,
he says, dig my grave, says he,
I am not long in this world
to live for the loss, my love, of thee, of thee,
for the loss, my love, of thee.
They buried Lady Nancy in
the old churchyard,
Lord Lovell in the choir,
And from her grave grew a red, rose,
And from his a briar, a briar,
And from his a briar.
They grew and they grew
in the old churchyard
to the wonder of the town.
They would have been there until this day
if the sexton had not cut them down, down,
if the sexton had not cut them down.