Rather belatedly, here's my reworking:


The Flanders Shore
traditional; as modified by Robert Wahl

1. I served a squire for winters seven;
His daughter I prized as my life.
I told her duly and truly of my love, truly of my love
But she never gave her consent to be my wife. (2x; similarly below)

2. So I told her father secretly,
His daughter's hand I did seek,
He locked her up in a room so high, in a room so high;
It was the start of all my misery.

3. I went under my love's chamber window,
Where I often had been before,
'Twas to let her know unto Flanders Shore, unto Flanders Shore,
Never to return to England no more.

4. As I was a-walking on Flanders shore,
Her own dear father did I meet,
"My daughter dear she is dead," he cried; "She is dead," he cried,
"She has broke her heart all for the loss of thee."

5. Taking a pistol into my hand,
I hove a bullet on fair England, on fair England,
Just where I thought my own true love lay.

6. I went unto my love's chamber door,
Where I never had been before.
I saw a light spring from her clothes, spring from her clothes,
Just as the morning sun when first arose.


Phrases of the first two verses I took from "The Ploughman's Love", with liberal use of creative grout to form a condensed backstory. I also "restored" the first line of the fifth verse (modified from the original), but left it as a three-line verse since I think it works better dramatically to have a little musical jump here and avoid further verbal padding. The sixth verse was moved from its earlier position in the Notley version. The only other modification I can recall is changing "love" in the fourth verse to "loss", as originally.

I debated adding a verse to explain that the father had arranged for the young lover to be pressed into service, but thought this would drag out the song. Anyone familiar with such songs can infer this nicety.