Said my lord to my lady as he mounted his horse,
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the moss!"Said my lord to his lady as he rode away,
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the hay!
Let the doors be all bolted and the windows all pinned
And leave not a hole for a mouse to creep in."So he's kissed his fair lady and he's rode away
And he was in fair London before the break of day.
The doors were all bolted and the windows all pinned
Except one little window where Long Lankin crept in.
"Where's the lord of this house?" said Long Lankin.
"He's away in fair London," said the false nurse to him."Where's the little heir of this house," said Long Lankin.
"He's asleep in his cradle," said the false nurse to him.
"We'll prick him, we'll prick him all o'er with a pin
And that'll make my lady to come down to him."So he's pricked him, he's pricked him all over with a pin
And the nurse held the basin for the blood to flow in."Oh nurse how you slumber, oh nurse how you sleep,
You leave my little son, Johnson, to cry and to weep.
Oh nurse how you slumber, oh nurse how you snore,
You leave my little song Johnson to cry and to roar!""I tried him with an apple, I tried him with a pear,
Come down my fair lady, and rock him in your chair.
I tried him with milk, and I tried him with pap,
Come down my fair lady and rock him in your lap."
"How durst I go down in the dead of the night,
Where there's no fire akindled and no candle alight?""You have three silver mantles as bright as the sun -
Come down my fair lady all by the light of one."
My lady came down - she was thinking no harm;
Long Lankin stood ready to catch her in his arm.Here's blood in the kitchen, here's blood in the hall,
Here's blood in the parlour where my lady did fall.Her maiden looked out from the turret so high
And she saw her master from London riding by.
"Oh master, oh master, don't lay the blame on me.
'Twas the false nurse and Lankin that killed your lady."Long Lankin was hung on a gibbet so high,
And the false nurse was burned in a fire close by."
