Martinmas Time

It fell out upon one Martinmas time
 When snow lay on the border
 There came a troop of soldiers here
 To take up their winter quarters
 And they road high and they rode north
 And they rode o'er the border
 And there they met with a nice, little girl
 She was a farmer's daughter
 Well, they made her swear a solemn oath
 A salt tear in her eye
 That she would come to the quarter gates
 When no one would her spy
 But she's gone to the barber's shop
 And to the barber's shop went soon
 She made them cut off her long, yellow hair
 As short as any dragoon
 And she's gone to the tailor's shop
 And dressed in soldier's clothes
 With two long pistols down by her side
 A nice, little boy was she
 And she's gone to the quarter gates
 And loudly she does call
 "There comes a troop of soldiers here
 We must have lodgings all"
 And the quartermaster, he comes down
 He gives her half a crown
 "Go find your lodgings in the town
 Tonight there is no room"
 So she moved closer to the gates
 And louder she does call
 "Room, room, you gentlemen
 We must have lodgings all"
 And the quartermaster, he comes down
 He gives her eighteen pence
 "Go find your lodgings in the town
 Tonight here comes a wench"
 So she took a pistol from her side
 She blew it loud and shrill
 "You're all very free with your eighteen pence
 You're not for a girl at all"
 And she took the garter from her knee
 The ribbon from her hair
 She tied them 'round the quarter gates
 A token she'd been there
 And when they found that it was her
 They tried to have her taken
 She slapped her spurs to her horse's side
 She galloped home a maiden
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