Shepherd's Song from Fifty Verses by Melrose Quartet

We shepherds are the best of men that e’er trod English ground

When we come to an alehouse we value not one crown

We spends our money freely; and we pay before we go

For there’s no ale on the wold where the stormy winds do blow.

For there’s no ale on the wold…

A man that is a shepherd does need a valiant heart

He must not be faint-hearted but boldly play his part

He must not be faint-hearted be it rain or frost or snow

With no ale on the wold where the stormy winds do blow

He must not be faint hearted…

When I kept sheep on Blockley Hill it caused my heart to beat

To see the ewes hang out their tongues and hear the lambs to bleat

So I plucked up my courage and o’er the hills did go

And penned them in, in the fold where the stormy winds do blow

So I plucked up my courage…

As soon as I had folded them I turned my back in haste

Unto some jovial company, good liquor for to taste

For drink and jovial company, they are my heart’s delight

While my sheep lie asleep all the fore-part of the night.

For drink and jovial company…

• English folk
• Folk
• acapella
• harmony
• trad
• Sheffield