C   G   C G

[Verse]
  C                     F               G
A pretty young girl all in the month of May
G
A gathering rushes just at the break of day
      Am                            G
But before she's come home, she has born a little son
          C              G              C G
And she's rolled him all underneath her apron

[Verse]
    C                                    F              G
All in the first part of the night, when all were fast asleep
G
This pretty little baby, oh, it began to weep
     Am                               G
"Oh, what's that little babe that's a-crying out so shrill
       C        G               C  G
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?"

[Verse]
    C                         F                   G
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then," said she
 G
"It's just a little bird that my sister gave to me
         Am                           G
And I'll build for it a nest and I'll warm it on my breast
        C                 G            C   G
So that it won't wake you early in the May morning"

[Verse]
    C                                   F               G
All in the last part of the night, when they were fast asleep
G
This pretty little baby, again began to weep
     Am                             G
"Oh, what's that little babe that's crying out so clear
       C        G               C  G
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?"

[Verse]
    C                         F                  G
"Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then" said she
 G
"It's just a little baby that someone gave to me
       Am                     G
Let it lie, let it sleep this night along o' me
         C               G            C   G
And I'll tell to you its daddy in the May morning"

[Verse]
     C                        F           G
"Oh, was it by a black man or was it by a brown
G
Or was it by a ploughing-boy, a-ploughing up and down
     Am                        G
That gave you the stranger you wear with your new gown
            C         G               C G
That you've rolled up underneath your apron?'

[Verse]
    C                            F           G
"It wasn't by a black man and it wasn't by a brown
G
But it was by a sailor lad, that ploughs the watery main
        Am                         G
And was him gave me the stranger I wear with my new gown
          C         G             C G
That I've rolled up underneath me apron"

[Verse]
     C                             F             G
"Oh, was it in the kitchen got, or was it in the hall?
G
Or was it in the cowshed or up against the wall?
  Am                        G
I wish I had a firebrand to burn the building down
          C        G        C   G
Where you met with him on a May morning"

[Verse]
    C                                  F             G
"It wasn't in the kitchen-room got, it wasn't in the hall
G
It wasn't in the cowshed, nor up again the wall
       Am                                G
It was down by yonder spring, where them pretty birds do sing
       C        G        C   G
That I met with him on a May morning"