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Highwayman [Live]
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Phil Ochs
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1
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
2
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
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The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
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And the highwayman came riding-
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Riding-riding-
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The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
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He'd a french cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
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A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
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They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
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And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
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His pistol butts a-twinkle,
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His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.
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Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
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And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
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He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
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But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
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Bess, the landlord's daughter,
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Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
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And dark in the old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
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Where tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
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His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
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But he loved the landlord's daughter,
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The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
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Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say-
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"one kiss, my bonny sweetheart, i'm after a prize to-night,
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But i shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
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Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
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Then look for me by moonlight,
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Watch for me by moonlight,
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I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."
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He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
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But she loosened her hair i' the casement! his face burnt like a brand
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As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
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And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
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(oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
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Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.
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He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
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And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
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When the road was a gipsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
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A red-coat troop came marching-
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Marching-marching-
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King george's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.
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They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
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But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
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Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
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There was death at every window;
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And hell at one dark window;
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For bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride.
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They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
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They bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
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"now keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
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She heard the dead man say-
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Look for me by moonlight;
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Watch for me by moonlight;
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I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
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Iv
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She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
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She writhed her hands till here fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
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They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like
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Years,
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Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
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Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
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The tip of one finger touched it! the trigger at least was hers!
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V
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The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
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Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
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She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
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For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
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Blank and bare in the moonlight;
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And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain.
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Vi
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Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! had they heard it? the horse-hoofs
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Ringing clear;
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Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? were they deaf that they did
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Not hear?
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Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
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The highwayman came riding,
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Riding, riding!
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The red-coats looked to their priming! she stood up strait and still!
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Vii
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Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! tlot-tlot, in the echoing night
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!
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Nearer he came and nearer! her face was like a light!
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Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
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Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
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Her musket shattered the moonlight,
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Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him-with her death.
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Viii
89
He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know who stood
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Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
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Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
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How bess, the landlord's daughter,
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The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
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Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.
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Ix
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Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
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With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
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Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
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When they shot him down on the highway,
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Down like a dog on the highway,
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And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat.
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* * * * * *
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X
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And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
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When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
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When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
107
A highwayman comes riding-
108
Riding-riding-
109
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
110
Xi
111
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
112
And he taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
113
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
114
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
115
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
116
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
117
By alfred noyes and phil ochs
118
------------------------------------------------
119
C em
120
The wind was a torrent of darkness
121
Am
122
Among the gusty trees
123
Em f
124
The moon was a ghostly galleon
125
Dm g7
126
Tossed upon cloudy seas
127
C em
128
And the road was a ribbon of moonlight
129
Am
130
Over the purple moor
131
F c e am
132
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding
133
F see
134
Yes, the highwayman came riding
135
Dm g7
136
Up to the old inn door
137
Over the cobbles he clattered
138
And clashed in the darkened yard
139
And he tapped with his whip at the window
140
But all was locked and barred
141
So he whistled a tune to the window
142
And who should be waiting there
143
But the landlord's black eyed daughter
144
Bess the landlord's daughter
145
Plaiting a dark red love knot
146
Into her long black hair
147
One kiss, my bonny sweetheart
148
For i'm after a prize tonight
149
But i shall be back with the yellow gold
150
Before the morning light
151
Yet if they press me sharply
152
Harry me through the day
153
Oh, then look for me by moonlight
154
Watch for me by moonlight
155
And i'll come to thee by moonlight
156
Though hell should bar the way
157
He did not come at the dawning
158
No, he did not come at the noon
159
And out of the tawny sunset
160
Before the rise of the moon
161
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon
162
Looping the purple moor
163
Oh a redcoat troop came marching, marching, marching
164
King george's men came marching
165
Up to the old inn door
166
And they bound the landlord's daughter
167
With many a sniggering jest
168
And they bound the musket beside her
169
With the barrel beneath her breast
170
Now keep good watch and they kissed her
171
She heard the dead man say
172
"oh look for me by moonlight
173
Watch for me by moonlight
174
And i'll come to thee by moonlight
175
Though hell should bar the way"
176
Look for me by moonlight
177
Hoof beats ringing clear
178
Watch for me by moonlight
179
Were they deaf that they did not hear
180
For he rode on the gypsy highway
181
She breathed one final breath
182
Then her finger moved in the moonlight
183
Her musket shattered the moonlight
184
And it shattered her breast in the moonlight
185
And warned him with her death
186
Oh he turned; he spurred on to the west
187
He did not know who stood
188
Out with her black hair a flowing down
189
Drenched with her own red blood
190
Oh not 'til the dawn had he heard it
191
And his face grew gray to hear
192
How bess the landlord's daughter
193
The landlord's black eyed daughter
194
Had watched for her love in the moonlight
195
And died in the darkness there
196
C em
197
Back he spurred like a madman
198
Am
199
Shrieking a curse to the sky
200
Em f
201
With the white road smoking behind him
202
Dm g
203
And his rapier brandished high
204
C em
205
Blood red were his spurs in the golden noon
206
Am
207
Wine red his velvet coat
208
F see
209
When they shot him down on the highway
210
E am
211
Down like a dog on the highway
212
F see
213
And he lay in his blood on the highway
214
F g
215
With a bunch of lace at his throat
216
And still on a winter's night they say
217
When the wind is in the trees
218
When the moon is a ghostly galleon
219
Tossed upon cloudy seas
220
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight
221
Over the purple moor
222
Oh the highwayman comes riding, riding, riding
223
Yes the highwayman comes riding
224
Up to the old inn door. /pre>
The Highwaymen - Highwayman (Official Vi...
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