C

[Verse]
             Dm7           C
Bonnie Mae a-shepherding's gone
   Dm7      C            G
To call the sheep to the fold
    C                                     Dm7
And aye, as she sang, her bonny voice, it rang
      G                           C
Right over the tops of the downs, downs
                     G      C
Over the tops of the downs

[Verse]
                      Dm7   C
There came a troop of gentlemen
   Dm7       C      G
As they were riding by
    C                       Dm7
And one of them has lighted down
         G                         C
And he's asked of her the way, the way
                      G
He's asked of her the way

[Verse]
      C                Dm7    C
"Ride on, ride on, you rank riders
     Dm7        C         G
Your steeds are stout and strong
         C                          Dm7
For it's out of the fold I will not go
    G                        C
For fear you'll do me wrong, wrong
                  G
Fear you'll do me wrong"

[Verse]
         C         Dm7           C
Now he's taken her by the middle jip
    Dm7    C          G
And by the green gown sleeve
    C                          Dm7
And there he's had his will of her
         G                         C
And he's asked of her no leave, no leave
                     G
He's asked of her no leave

[Verse]
     C                    Dm7         C
"Oh, I've ridden east and I've ridden west
    Dm7         C        G
And I've ridden o'er the downs
        C                         Dm7
But the bonniest lass that ever I saw
   G
Is calling her sheep to the fold"

[Verse]
        C                   Dm7    C
She has taken the milk pail on her head
    Dm7        C         G
And she's gone lingering home
            C              Dm7
And all her father said to her
      G                               C
Was, "Daughter, you've done me wrong, wrong
                         G
Daughter, you've done me wrong"

[Verse]
    C                 Dm7      C
Now twenty weeks were gone and past
Dm7    C         G
Twenty weeks and three
        C                           Dm7
And the lassie began to fret and to frown
       G                                  C
And to long for his twinkling eye, bright eye
                       G
Long for his twinkling eye

[Instrumental]
F  G  C  F  G  C  F  G  C  G

[Verse]
       C                    Dm7            C
Now it fell on a day, and a bonny summer's day
    Dm7        C    G
For she walked out alone
     C                       Dm7
That selfsame troop of gentlemen
       G                      C
Came a-riding o'er the downs, downs
                G      C
Riding o'er the downs

[Verse]
                       Dm7          C
"Who got the babe with thee, Bonnie Mae?
    Dm7     C           G
Who got the babe in thy arms?"
              C                    Dm7
For shame she blushed and aye, she said
        G
"I've a good man of my own"

[Verse]
     C                 Dm7          C
"You lie, you lie, you bonny, bonny Mae
   Dm7    C        G
So loud I hear you lie
  C                       Dm7
Remember the misty, murky night
  G                               C
I lay in the fold with thee, with thee
                       G
I lay in the fold with thee

[Verse]
         C               Dm7         C
Now he's lighted off his berry-brown steed
     Dm7     C        G
He's set the fair Mae on
    C                                    Dm7
"Go call out your fold, good father, yourself
       G                       C
She'll ne'er call them again, again
                        G
She'll ne'er call them again"

[Verse]
    C                Dm7  C
For he's the Lord of Achentrioch
     Dm7   C          G
With fifty plough and three
         C                       Dm7
And he's taken away the bonniest lass
   G                          C
In all the south country, country
                     G
In all the south country