Steeleye Span
Lyric guide

Thomas The Rhymer

Read Thomas The Rhymer lyrics by Steeleye Span on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Steeleye Span visibility1 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Steeleye Span Canonical path: /steeleye-span/thomas-the-rhymer Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Thomas The Rhymer

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

True Thomas sat on Huntley bank

And he beheld a lady gay

A lady that was brisk and bold

Come riding o'er the ferny brae

Her skirt was of the grass green silk,

Her mantle of the velvet fine

At every lock of her horse's mane

Hung fifty silver bells and nine

True Thomas, he pulled off his cap

And bowed him low down to his knee

`All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven

Your like on earth I ne'er did see.'

No, no Thomas she said

That name does not belong to me

I am the queen of fair Elfland

And I have come to visit thee.

You must go with me Thomas she said,

True Thomas you must go with me

And must serve me seven years

Through well or woe, as chance may be.

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

She turned about her milk white steed

And took Thomas up behind

And aye whenever her bridle rang

Her steed flew swifter than the wind

For forty days and forty nights

They rode through red blood to the knee

And they saw neither sun nor moon

But heard the roaring of the sea

And they rode on and further on

Further and swifter than the wind

Until they came to a desert wide

And living land was left behind

Don't you see yon narrow, narrow road

So thick beset with thorns and briars?

That is the road to righteousness

Though after it but few enquire.

Don't you see yon broad, broad road

That lies across the lily leaven?

That is the road to wickedness

Though some call it the road to heaven.

Don't you see yon bonnie, bonnie road

That lies across the ferny brae?

That is the road to fair Elfland

Where you and I this night must go.

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Hark and carp, come along with me,

Thomas the Rhymer

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Thomas The Rhymer"?

Steeleye Span performs "Thomas The Rhymer", and this lyric page sits inside the Steeleye Span catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Thomas The Rhymer"?

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.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Thomas The Rhymer yet.