Ed de Moel

Child Ballads - Lyrics

Child 26: The Three Ravens

The Long Harvest, record 7, ballad 3

Version D
The Crow Song

1   There were three crows sat on a tree,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
There were three crows sat on a tree,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
There were three crows sat on a tree,
And they were black as crows could be,
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Caw! Caw! Caw! Billy Magee Magar!'
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Billy Magee Magar!'
2   Said one old crow unto his mate,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
Said one old crow unto his mate,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
Said one old crow unto his mate,
'What shall we do for grub to ate?'
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Caw! Caw! Caw! Billy Magee Magar!'
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Billy Magee Magar!'
3   There lies a horse on yonders plain,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
There lies a horse on yonders plain,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
There lies a horse on yonders plain,
Who's by some cruel butcher slain,
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Caw! Caw! Caw! Billy Magee Magar!'
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Billy Magee Magar!'
4   We'll perch ourselves on his backbone,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
We'll perch ourselves on his backbone,
    O Billy Magee Magar!
We'll perch ourselves on his backbone,
And eat his eyeballs one by one,
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Caw! Caw! Caw! Billy Magee Magar!'
And they all flapped their wings and cried,
    'Billy Magee Magar!'

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