Anonymous British

Green Sleeves

Alas my loue, ye do me wrong, to cast me off discurteously: And I haue loued you so long Delighting in your companie. Chorus: Greensleeues was all my ioy, Greensleeues was my delight: Greensleeues was my heart of gold, And who but Ladie Greensleeues. I haue been readie at your hand, to grant what euer you would craue. I haue both waged life and land, your loue and good will for to haue. (Chorus) I bought three kerchers to thy head, that were wrought fine and gallantly: I kept thee both boord and bed, Which cost my purse wel fauouredly. (Chorus) I bought thee peticotes of the best, the cloth so fine as might be: I gaue thee iewels for thy chest, and all this cost I spent on thee. (Chorus) Thy smock of silk, both faire and white, with gold embrodered gorgeously: Thy peticote of Sendall right: and thus I bought thee gladly. (Chorus) Thy girdle of gold so red, with pearles bedecked sumptuously: The like no other lasses had, and yet thou wouldst not loue me, (Chorus) Thy purse and eke thy gay guilt kniues, thy pincase gallant to the eie: No better wore the Burgesse wiues, and yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) Thy crimson stockings all of silk, with golde all wrought aboue the knee, Thy pumps as white as was the milk, and yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) Thy gown was of the grossie green, thy sleeues of Satten hanging by: Which made thee be our haruest Queen, and yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) Thy garters fringed with the golde, And siluer aglets hanging by, Which made thee blithe for to beholde, And yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) My gayest gelding I thee gaue, To ride where euer liked thee, No Ladie euer was so braue, And yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) My men were clothed all in green, And they did euer wait on thee: Al this was gallant to be seen, and yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) They set thee vp, they took thee downe, they serued thee with humilitie, Thy foote might not once touch the ground, and yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) For euerie morning when thou rose, I sent thee dainties orderly: To cheare thy stomack from all woes, and yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) Thou couldst desire no earthly thing. But stil thou hadst it readily: Thy musicke still to play and sing, And yet thou wouldst not loue me. (Chorus) And who did pay for all this geare, that thou didst spend when pleased thee? Euen I that am reiected here, and thou disdainst to loue me. (Chorus) Wel, I wil pray to God on hie, that thou my constancie maist see: And that yet once before I die, thou wilt vouchsafe to loue me. (Chorus) Greensleeues now farewel adue, God I pray to prosper thee: For I am stil thy louer true, come once againe and loue me. Chorus: Greensleeues was all my ioy, Greensleeues was my delight: Greensleeues was my heart of gold, And who but Ladie Greensleeues. "Greensleeves," the tune to which "What Child Is This? " is sung, has a long history. It was apparently first licensed or registered in 1580 to a Richard Jones as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves. " No copy of that printing is known. It appears in the surviving A Handful of Pleasant Delights (1584) as "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green Sleeves. To the new tune of Green sleeves", but it is probably older still. The widely believed legend is that it was composed by Henry VIII. for Anne Boleyn. Anne, the youngest daughter of the earl of Wiltshire, rejected Henry's attempts to seduce her. This rejection is apparently referred to in the song, when the writer's love "cast me off discourteously. " It is not known if the legend is true, but the song is still commonly associated with Anne Boleyn in the public's mind. In any case, Henry VIII. 's daughter Elizabeth I. is said to have danced to it. Shakespeare mentions it in The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1602: the character Mistress Ford refers twice to the tune of "Green Sleeves," and Falstaff later exclaims: Let the sky rain potatoes! Let it thunder to the tune of 'Greensleeves'!