The cited passage is Wikipedia was added by an anonymous user in February 2015.

I've been told that John Smith said when questioned: "I think some of it was from a Carthy live recording, and some of it I ad-libbed. That’s the beauty of traditional song!" This may have been selective memory as the lines in question are exactly as in Wikipedia so I'd assume he got them from there.


LOWLANDS OF HOLLAND
as recorded by John Smith

The night that we were married and laid upon our bed
A man came to my chamber and stood at my bedhead,
Said, “Up, arise young married man and come along with me
To the lowlands of Holland to fight your enemy.”

Well I held my love all in my arms thinking he might stay;
But the captain gave an order and he was forced to march away,
Said, “There’s many young married men this night must go with me
To the lowlands of Holland, to fight the enemy.”

My love across the ocean wears a scarlet coat so fair,
With a musket at his shoulder and roses in his hair.
There’s men enough in this old town but no men do I see
For I’ve never had but one true love and he was pressed from me.

The love that I have chosen was to my heart’s content,
The salt sea shall be frozen before that I repent.
Repent it I shall never until the day I die
For the lowlands of Holland have parted my love and I.