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Title
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Gamekeeper
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Singer
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Dixon, Elizabeth Mrs.
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Song Lyrics
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Verse 1
Near Bottom Town, in Staffordshire,
A farmer’s daughter was living there;
And on a gamekeeper, you soon shall find,
This fair damsel she fixed her mind.
Verse 2
The gamekeeper lately being in the park,
He met his love with an aching heart;
She said – “Young man, what shall I do?
I’ve lost my liberty by you.â€
Verse 3
“I will not marry, yet,†said he,
“While I am single I am free.â€
Then from his pocket a knife he drew,
And pierced her tender body through.
Verse 4
He picked her up, and there lay by,
A fair young babe that moaned and cried;
He threw her in among the thorns,
With her pretty baby in her arms.
Verse 5
But as there was somebody nigh,
They heard the baby moan and cry;
They searched the hills and the valleys o’er,
And found the farmer’s daughter there.
Verse 6
The gamekeeper was taken before it was long,
And put into a prison strong;
And there he was condemned to die,
Upon the gallows-tree so high.
Verse 7
Here’s a warning to you and all mankind,
To all true lovers that I leave behind;
And never do as I have done,
For I might have been a farmer’s son.
