| Song | The Bedmaking |
| Artist | Martin Carthy |
| Album | Essential |
| Download | Image LRC TXT |
| Me father, he was a good old man, | |
| He put me to service when I was very young. | |
| My mistress and me we never could agree, | |
| Because that my master he would love me. | |
| Well she sent me upstairs to the loft | |
| To make up a bed so neat and soft. | |
| Master followed up with a gay gold ring, | |
| Saying, “Betty, have this for your bedmaking.” | |
| All through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| All through the parlour among the women all, | |
| Master followed up with a gay gold ring, | |
| Saying, “Betty, have this for your bedmaking.” | |
| Mistress come upstairs in a great haste, | |
| Caught the master there with his arm round me waist. | |
| From the top to the bottom stair she did him fling, | |
| Saying, “Mister, take that for your bedmaking.” | |
| All through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| All through the parlour among the women all. | |
| Everybody asked me wherever I had been, | |
| And they laughed when I said, “At the bedmaking.” | |
| Mistress she flung me out of the door, | |
| She called me a nasty cheeky little whore. | |
| The weather being wet and my clothes being thin, | |
| How I wished I was back at the bedmaking. | |
| Six month over and seven month past, | |
| Pretty fair maid grew thick about the waist. | |
| Her stays wouldn't meet nor her pinafore pin; | |
| She cried when she thought of the bedmaking. | |
| Eight month over and nine month gone, | |
| Pretty fair maid had a beautiful son. | |
| She's took him to the church, she had him christened John, | |
| And she took him back again to the dear old man. | |
| She cursed him through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| Cursed him through the parlour among the women all, | |
| Saying, “If you won't pay me, take your little son John, | |
| Cos he never cost you nothing but the bedmaking.” |
| Me father, he was a good old man, | |
| He put me to service when I was very young. | |
| My mistress and me we never could agree, | |
| Because that my master he would love me. | |
| Well she sent me upstairs to the loft | |
| To make up a bed so neat and soft. | |
| Master followed up with a gay gold ring, | |
| Saying, " Betty, have this for your bedmaking." | |
| All through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| All through the parlour among the women all, | |
| Master followed up with a gay gold ring, | |
| Saying, " Betty, have this for your bedmaking." | |
| Mistress come upstairs in a great haste, | |
| Caught the master there with his arm round me waist. | |
| From the top to the bottom stair she did him fling, | |
| Saying, " Mister, take that for your bedmaking." | |
| All through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| All through the parlour among the women all. | |
| Everybody asked me wherever I had been, | |
| And they laughed when I said, " At the bedmaking." | |
| Mistress she flung me out of the door, | |
| She called me a nasty cheeky little whore. | |
| The weather being wet and my clothes being thin, | |
| How I wished I was back at the bedmaking. | |
| Six month over and seven month past, | |
| Pretty fair maid grew thick about the waist. | |
| Her stays wouldn' t meet nor her pinafore pin | |
| She cried when she thought of the bedmaking. | |
| Eight month over and nine month gone, | |
| Pretty fair maid had a beautiful son. | |
| She' s took him to the church, she had him christened John, | |
| And she took him back again to the dear old man. | |
| She cursed him through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| Cursed him through the parlour among the women all, | |
| Saying, " If you won' t pay me, take your little son John, | |
| Cos he never cost you nothing but the bedmaking." |
| Me father, he was a good old man, | |
| He put me to service when I was very young. | |
| My mistress and me we never could agree, | |
| Because that my master he would love me. | |
| Well she sent me upstairs to the loft | |
| To make up a bed so neat and soft. | |
| Master followed up with a gay gold ring, | |
| Saying, " Betty, have this for your bedmaking." | |
| All through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| All through the parlour among the women all, | |
| Master followed up with a gay gold ring, | |
| Saying, " Betty, have this for your bedmaking." | |
| Mistress come upstairs in a great haste, | |
| Caught the master there with his arm round me waist. | |
| From the top to the bottom stair she did him fling, | |
| Saying, " Mister, take that for your bedmaking." | |
| All through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| All through the parlour among the women all. | |
| Everybody asked me wherever I had been, | |
| And they laughed when I said, " At the bedmaking." | |
| Mistress she flung me out of the door, | |
| She called me a nasty cheeky little whore. | |
| The weather being wet and my clothes being thin, | |
| How I wished I was back at the bedmaking. | |
| Six month over and seven month past, | |
| Pretty fair maid grew thick about the waist. | |
| Her stays wouldn' t meet nor her pinafore pin | |
| She cried when she thought of the bedmaking. | |
| Eight month over and nine month gone, | |
| Pretty fair maid had a beautiful son. | |
| She' s took him to the church, she had him christened John, | |
| And she took him back again to the dear old man. | |
| She cursed him through the kitchen and down through the hall, | |
| Cursed him through the parlour among the women all, | |
| Saying, " If you won' t pay me, take your little son John, | |
| Cos he never cost you nothing but the bedmaking." |