William Taylor

I'll sing you a song of two young lovers
Oh from Lichfield town they came
Oh the young man's name was William Taylor
Sarah Gray was the maiden's name

William Taylor he has enlisted
For a soldier he has gone
And he's gone and he's left his own true lover
For to sigh and for to moan

Sarah his parents they abused her
Filled her heart with much grief and woe
And for to seek young William Taylor
For a soldier she would go

She dressed herself in man's apparel
Man's apparel she put on
And for to seek young William Taylor
For a soldier she has gone

One day as she was exercising
Exercising one, two, three, four with the rest
Oh a silver chain fell down from her waist
Oh then exposed her lily-white breast

The sergeant he stepped up to her
Asked her, "Young lady, what brings you here?"
"Oh I've come in search of William Taylor
Who was pressed from me last year."

"Oh if you come in search of William Taylor
William Taylor he's not here
For I do hear that he's to be married
To some lovely lady fair."

"And if you rise early in the morning
Early at the break of day
Oh it's there you'll see your William Taylor
Walking out with the ladies gay."

So she rose early in the morning
Early at the break of the very next day
And it's there she's seen her William Taylor
Walking out with the ladies gay

She has called for a brace of pistols
A brace of pistols was brought all there to her hand
And she's shot William Taylor
With his bride at his right hand