Though Oxford* be yielded and Reading be taken,
I'll put in for quarter at thy maidenhead.
There while I'm ensconded, my standard unshaken,
Lie thou in my arms, and I in thy bed.
Let the young zealots march with their wenches,
Mounting their tools to edify trenches,
While thou and I do make it out pleasure,
Where nobody else shall plunder but I.

And when we together in battle do join
We scorn to wear arms but what are our own.
Strike thou at my body, and I'll thrust at thine.
By nakedness best the truth is made known.
Cannons** may roar and bullets keep flying;
While we are in battle we never fear dying.
Isaac and's wenches are busy a-digging [Isaac Pennington
But all our delight is in japing and jigging,
And nobody else shall plunder but I.

And when at the last our bodies are weary,
We'll straight to the tavern our strength to recruit,
Where when we've refreshed our hearts with canary,
We shall be the fitter again to go to't.
We'll tipple and drink until we do stagger,
For then is the time for soldiers top swagger,
Thus night and day we'll thump it and knock it,
And when we've no money, then look to your pocket,
For nobody else shall plunder but I.

*Oxford fell to Parliament forces in June 1646.
**When cannons are roaring and bullets are flying,
He that would honour win must not fear dying [from older ballad; late print with music in Forbes' 'Cantus', 1662. Tune B504 at website noted below]

By Alex Broome, whe said he wrote it in 1645, but it can't be before 1646, and not published until 1661. Tune B325 at www.erols.com/olsonw