Martinmas Time

It fell up on Martinmas time
When snow lay on the borders,
There came a troop of soldiers here
To take up their winter quarters.

Chorus (after each verse):
With me right fol-de-li-dle ly-die li-dle ly-dee-o
With me right fol-de-li-dle ly-dee la-ry.

They rode up and they rode down
And they rode over the border.
There they met a fair pretty girl
And she was a farmer's daughter.

They made her swear a solemn oath
With a salt tear in her eye, oh,
That she would call at their quarter gates
When no-one did her spy, oh.

So she goes to the barber shop
To the barber shop went soon, oh.
She's made him cut her fine yellow hair
As short as any dragoon, oh.

Then she goes to the tailor shop
And dresses in soldier's clothes, oh.
A pair of pistols down by her side
And a nice little boy was she, oh.

When she came to the quarter gates,
It's loud, loud she did call, oh,
"There comes a troop of soldiers here
And we must have lodgings all, oh!"

The quartermaster he comes out,
He gives her half a crown, oh:
"Go and find lodgings for yourself,
For here there is no room, oh."

But she drew nearer to the gates
And louder she did call, oh:
"Room, room, you gentlemen,
We must have lodgings all, oh!"

The quartermaster he comes out,
He gives her eighteen pence, oh:
"Go and find lodgings in the town
For tonight there comes a wench, oh."

She's pulled the garters from her legs,
The ribbons from her hair, oh.
She's tied them 'round the quarter gates
As a token she'd been there, oh.

She drew a whistle from her side,
And blew it loud and shrill, oh:
"You're all very free with your eighteen pence,
But you're not for a girl at all, oh."

And when they knew that it was her
They tried to overtake her.
She's clapped her spurs to her horse's side
And she's galloped home a maiden.