Oh, Madam, I Will Give You the Keys of Canterbury
Oh, Madam, I Will Give You the Keys of Canterbury
Nursery Song
Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of Canterbury,
To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.
Sir, I'll not accept of you the keys of Canterbury,
To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry;
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!
Oh, madam, I will give you a fine carved comb,
To comb out your ringlets when I am from home,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.
Sir, I'll not accept of you a fine carved comb,
To comb out my ringlets when you are from home,
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!
Oh, madam, I will give you a pair of shoes of cork,
One made in London, the other made in York,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.
Sir, I'll not accept of you a pair of shoes of cork,
One made in London, the other made in York,
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!
Madam, I will give you a sweet silver bell,
To ring up your maidens when you are not well,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.
Sir, I'll not accept of you a sweet silver bell,
To ring up my maidens when I am not well,
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!
Oh, my man John, what can the matter be?
I love the lady and the lady loves not me!
Neither will she walk abroad with me,
Neither will she talk with me.
Oh, master dear, do not despair,
The lady she shall be, shall be your only dear;
And she will walk and talk with thee,
And she will walk with thee!
Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of my chest,
To count my gold and silver when I am gone to rest,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but talk with me.
Oh, sir, I will accept of the keys of your chest,
To count your gold and silver when you are gone to rest,
And I will walk abroad with thee,
And I will talk with thee!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This song can be found in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).