Songs and Lyrics

Version 1

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X:1
T:The Bold English Navvy
Z:Webmaster
C:Trad
M:3/4
L:1/4
K:F
z2 F3/4 G/4| A G A| F D3/2 C/2| D/2 F3/2 G| F2 C| 
w:I’m a bold Eng-lish nav-vy that works on the line An'
F A c| d c3/2 d/2|c/2 A3/2 F| G2 C/2C/2| 
w:the best place I met wis New-castle-on-Tyne I wis
F A c| d c3/2 d/2| c/2 A3/2 F| G2 c/2G/2| 
w:tired, sick and wea-ry while wor-king all day To a
A3/2 G/2A/2 G/2| F/2 D3/2 C| D F3/2 G/2| F2 z|
w:cot down on the hill-side I’m mak-in’ my way
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W:
W:1
W:I’m a bold English navvy that works on the line
W:An’ the best place I met wis Newcastle-on-Tyne
W:I wis tired, sick and weary while working all day
W:To a cot down on the hillside I’m makin’ my way
W:
W:2
W:I firsta had a wash and then had a shave
W:For courting my true love I was highly prepared
W:The moon in the skies, and the stars, they shone down
W:And I hit for the road wi’ my navvy boots on
W:
W:3
W:I knocked on my love’s window, my knock she did know
W:And out of her slumbers she woked so slow
W:I knocked her again and she says: “Is that you, John?”
W:“Yes, indeed, it is me with my navvy boots on”
W:
W:4
W:She opened the door and then let me in
W:It was to her bedroom she called me then
W:Well the night being warm and the blankets rolled down
W:So I jumped into bed with my navvy boots on
W:
W:5
W:Early next morning at the break of the day
W:I says to my true love: “It’s time to go away”
W:“Sleep down, sleep down, for you know you’ve done wrong
W:For to sleep here all night with your navvy boots on”
W:
W:6
W:Six months being over and seven months being past
W:This pretty fair maid she grew stout round the waist
W:Seven months being over and nine come along
W:And he hands me a young son with his navvy boots on
W:
W:7
W:Come all you pretty fair maids take heed what I’ve said
W:Never let a navvy come into your bed
W:For when he gets warm he’ll take a leap on
W:And he’ll jump on your bones with his navvy boots on

Version 2

Version 3

Song Note

Song by Traditional
Country of origin: England

Folk song references:

Roud-516

Song to be found in the following collection(s):

The Song And The Story

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Folk song references:

Song to be found in the following collection(s):