The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #99109   Message #2031134
Posted By: GUEST,meself
20-Apr-07 - 11:14 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Songs about being invincible or mighty
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Songs about being invincible or mighty
Here's one that came into my head as I was going to bed last night - maybe someone can fill in the parts I can't remember:

Johnny rose on a May morning,
Called for water to wash his hands,
He called for his two greyhounds,
To be bound in iron bands, bands,
To be bound in iron bands.

Johnny shot, and the dun-deer leapt,
But he's wounded her in the side;
Between the water[?] and the wood,
The dun-deer [laid her?] pride, pride,
The dun-deer [laid her] pride.

Johnny's ate all the venison,
And the dogs drank all the bleed;
They all lay down and fell asleep,
Asleep as they'd been deed [i.e. dead], deed,
Asleep as they'd been deed.

Then by there came a silly old man,
And a sly old man was he;
And he's away to the king's high court,
For to tell on young Johnny-ee,
For to tell on young Johnny.

As I came in [by Mony Musk?],
.............................
There I espied the bonniest youth,
Asleep between two [dogs? hounds?].

[The king's "forresters" sneak up, and start firing arrows into Johnny.]

Johnny rose out of his sleep,
And an angry man was he;
Saying the wildest beast in all this wood,
Would not [have done? do?] so by me-ee,
Would not [have done] so by me.

He's put his back against an oak,
And his foot against a stone,
.................................
He's killed them all but one, one,
He's killed them all but one.

And he's broke six of this man's ribs,
His back and his collarbone;
He's [thrown him across his horse's back],
For to bring the tidings home, home,
For to bring the tidings home.

Now Johnny's good ben-bow is broke,
His two greyhounds are slain;
His body lies in Mony Musk,
And his hunting days are deen [i.e. done], deen,
And his hunting days are deen.