Sing Ye Well

I'm one of those besotted souls with a weakness for English period drama, and one of my favorites for a few seasons was Lark Rise to Candleford. I think it was in Series 3, Episode 4, when the villagers go out to gather in the wheat, that Alf (John Dagleish) leads the men into the field with The Keeper. I was so taken with it that I memorized it. I bet you will be too. It works as well for raking leaves as scything wheat, which is as close as many of us get to harvesting these days. But 'tis the season and all that.

The Keeper
as performed by The Weavers

1.
The keeper would a-hunting go,
And under his coat he carried a bow,
All for to shoot the merrie little doe
Among the leaves so green-o.

CHORUS-
Jackie Boy! Master! Sing ye well? Very well.
Hey down! Ho down! Derry, derry down.
Among the leaves so green-o.
To my hey down, down To my ho down, down!
Hey downl Ho downl Derry, derry down,
Among the leaves so green-o.

2.
The first doe she did cross the plain;
The keeper fetched her back again.
Where she is now she may remain,
Among the leaves so green-o.

3.
The next doe she did cross the brook;
The keeper fetched her back with his hook.
Where she is now you can go and look
Among the leaves so green-o.

4.
The keeper did a-hunting go;
In the woods he caught a doe.
She looked so sad he had to let her go
Among the leaves so green-o

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