Don't sing love songs, you'll wake my mother
She's sleepin close by my side
And in her right hand she holds a dagger
And says that I shan't be your bride

All men are false, says my mother
They'll tell you wicked lovely lies
And the very next evening court another
Leaving you alone to pine and sigh

My father is a handsome devil
He's got a chain that's five miles long
On every link a heart does dangle
Of some poor maid he's loved and wronged

Wish that I was some little sparrow
Yes, one of those that flies so high
I'd fly away to my heart's true lover
And when he'd speak I would deny

All on his breast I'd lie and flutter
With my little tender wings
I'd ask him who he meant to flatter
Or who he meant to deceive

Go court some other tender lady
And hope that she will be your wife
Cause I been warned and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life