Oh,
Johnny he got up one fine morning,
Cold water tae wash his hands.
Saying, ‘Come bring to me my twa grey dogs,
They are bound with iron bands, oh,
They are bound with iron bands.
‘Oh, Johnny. Oh,
Johnny.’ his mother she cried,
‘To the greenwoods dinna, dinna gang.
Oh, Johnny, for your mother’s sake,
Son, a-hunting, son dinna, dinna gang.’
But Johnny buskit up his fine broad bow
And his arrows they’re sae long;
And he paid no heed
to his mother’s words.
To the greenwoods he would gang.
And there he saw a grey dun deer,
Coming doon through the greenwood’s side;
And he fired on the grey dun deer,
And he wounded her in her pride, oh,
He wounded her in her pride.
And then there comes
a silly old man,
Coming doon through the greenwood’s side;
And he is awa to the King’s forester,
The seven forresters for tae see, oh,
The seven forresters for to see.
‘What news, what news, you silly old carle?
What news do you bring today?
He said, ‘As I
come down through your merry greenwoods,
And through the peat and bog;
There I saw a handsome man,
He was hunting with his dogs, oh,
He was a-hunting with his dog.’
Noo up an spoke the
first forrester,
An eld’ry (elderly) man was he.
He said, ‘If Johnny is a-hunting in our merry greenwoods,
We’d be better let him be, oh,
We may better let him be.
Then up an spoke the
second forrester,
A brother’s son was he.
He said, ‘If Johnny is a-hunting in our merry greenwood,
We should gang an we’ll gar him dee, oh,
We should gang an we’ll gar him dee.
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Then
up and spoke the third forrester,
He was a man among them aa.
He said, ‘If Johnny is a-hunting in our merry greenwoods,
Nae further dare we draw, oh,
Nae further dare we draw.’
Then up an spoke the
fourth forrester,
A bright young spark was he.
‘Gang get your bows my brother bold,
And come alang wi me, oh,
And come alang wi me.’
But Johnny placed his
back against an oak,
An his fet against the stain.
An he fired on the seven forresters
An he slew them aa, but ain, oh,
He slew them aa, but ain.
An then an arrow it
pierced him deep,
Coming doon through the greenwoods side.
An betwix the waters and the wood,
Oh, there young Johnny died, oh,
It’s there young Johnny died.
Now Johnny’s great
big bow lies broke.
An his twa grey dogs lie slain.
An his body lies in Monymusk,
An his huntin’ days are gane, oh,
His huntin’ days are gane.
Additional Information:
This song featured in Dave's Angle
on episode 1 of the Garden Sessions FREE fortnightly internet
radio show (or Podcast).
Click here for a recording of
this song.
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