The ToneWay® Project: helping people play music


Butcher's Boy

In London City, where I did dwell
A blue-eyed 4 boy I love so 1 well
He courted 4 me my life a 1 way
And with me 5 then he would not 1 stay

There is a strange girl in this town
And there my true love sits him down
He takes this strange girl on his knee
And he tells to her what he won't tell me

It's grief to me, and I'll tell you why
Because she has more gold than I
But gold will melt and silver fly
True-hearted love will never die

I went upstairs to go to bed
And nothing to my mother said
But mother said, you're acting queer
What is the trouble, my daughter dear

Oh mother dear, you need not know
The pain and sorrow, grief and woe
Give me a chair and sit me down
With pen and ink to write words down

Go dig my grave both wide and deep
Place marble at my head and feet
And on my grave place a willow tree
That he may mourn and weep for me

And when her father first came home
Where is my girl, where has she gone
He went upstairs, the door he broke
And he found her hanging from a rope

He took his knife and he cut her down
And in her bosom these words were found
A silly girl am I, you know
To hang myself for the butcher's boy

Available in these books:

Big Print Songs
Over 200 songs.
Family Tradition
The reference manual, with lyrics to 330 songs.
Featuring large-print lyrics (20-point type) and chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.

A song from the The ToneWay Mountain Music Collection, which offers lyrics and free Song Clips (recordings for learning the song by ear) for nearly 400 traditional songs, many of which are often heard in bluegrass and old-time jam circles. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and a free online video series for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com