Steeleye Span
Lyric guide

Sir James The Rose

Read Sir James The Rose lyrics by Steeleye Span on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

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Page type: lyric reference Artist: Steeleye Span Canonical path: /steeleye-span/sir-james-the-rose Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Sir James The Rose

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Oh have you heard Sir James the Rose,

The young heir of Loch Laggan,

For he has killed a gallant squire

And his friends are out to take him.

He's gone to the House of Marr

The Nurse there did befriend him,

And he has gone upon his knees

And begged for her to hide him.

``Where're you going Sir James?'' she said

``Where now are you riding?''

``Oh I am bound for a foreign land,

But now I'm under hiding.''

Where shall I go?

Where shall I run?

Where shall I go for to hide me?

For I have killed a gallant squire

And they're seeking for to slay me

Then he's turned him right and round about

And rolled him in the bracken,

And he has gone to take a sleep

In the lowlands of Loch Laggan.

He had not well gone out of sight

Nor was he past Milstrethen

When four and twenty belted knights

Came riding o'er the leathen.

``Oh have you seen Sir James the Rose,

The young heir of Loch Laggan,

For he has killed a gallant squire,

And we're sent out to take him.''

Where shall I go?

Where shall I run?

Where shall I go for to hide me?

For I have killed a gallant squire

And they're seeking for to slay me

``You'll see the bank above the mill

In the lowlands of Loch Laggan,

And there you'll find Sir James the Rose

Sleeping in the bracken.''

``You must not wake him out of sleep,

Nor yet must you afright him,

Just run a dart right through his heart,

And through the body pierce him.''

They sought the bank above the mill

In the lowlands of Loch Laggan,

And there they found Sir James the Rose

Sleeping in the bracken.

Where shall I go?

Where shall I run?

Where shall I go for to hide me?

For I have killed a gallant squire

And they're seeking for to slay me

Then up and spake Sir John the Graeme

Who had the charge a-keeping,

``It'll never be said, dear gentleman,

We killed him while he's sleeping.''

They seized his broadsword and his targe

And closely him surrounded,

And when he woke out of his sleep

His senses were confounded.

Now they have taken out his heart

And stuck it on a spear

They took it to the House of Marr,

And gave it to his dear.

Where shall I go?

Where shall I run?

Where shall I go for to hide me?

For I have killed a gallant squire

And they're seeking for to slay me

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Who performs "Sir James The Rose"?

Steeleye Span performs "Sir James The Rose", and this lyric page sits inside the Steeleye Span catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Sir James The Rose"?

Yes. The related section below points to A Calling-On Song and A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Steeleye Span?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Steeleye Span's lyric pages.

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