As I roved out on a bright May morning
To view the meadows and flowers gay
Whom should I spy but my own true lover
As she sat under yon willow tree

I took off my hat and I did salute her
I did salute her most courageously
When she turned around well the tears fell from her
Sayin' "False young man, you have deluded me

A diamond ring I owned I gave you
A diamond ring to wear on your right hand
But the vows you made, love, you went and broke them
And married the lassie that had the land"

"If I'd married the lassie that had the land, my love
It's that I'll rue till the day I die
When misfortune falls sure no man can shun it
I was blindfolded I'll ne'er deny"

Now at nights when I go to my bed of slumber
The thoughts of my true love run in my mind
When I turned around to embrace my darling
Instead of gold sure it's brass I find

And I wish the Queen would call home her army
From the West Indies, Amerikay and Spain
And every man to his wedded woman
In hopes that you and I will meet again.

-------------------------------------------------------------
recorded by Planxty on "The Well Below The Valley" (1973) and
performed by Richard Thompson live 1990

There are two songs of this name on that Planxty album, this
is the one sung by Andy Irvine.

"We learned this sad and beautiful song from the singing of Paddy
Tunney who lives in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. He has described it
as dating back to the days of the famine, when any bit of property
at all was enough to tempt a man to jilt his true love in favour
of the 'lassie with the land'" - Andy Irvine

The last verse seems slightly displaced and doesn't really fit
with the rest.

MJ

See also:
JustSomeLyrics
70
70.45
Basi musicali karaoke I dubbi dell'amore Lyrics
Adnan Sami Teri Yaad (pakimp3.org) Lyrics