Matty Groves – English Lyrics

• By: Fairport Convention

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and musical journey with Fairport Convention's "Matty Groves." This classic British folk-rock epic offers a captivating story told in a dialect of English that is both archaic and poetic. Learning the lyrics will not only introduce you to traditional balladry but also to a rich vocabulary and storytelling tradition. The song's powerful narrative and Fairport Convention's groundbreaking musical arrangement make it a timeless piece of music that continues to resonate with audiences today.

[English]

A holiday, a holiday

And the first one of the year

Lord Donald's wife came into the church

The gospel for to hear

And when the meeting, it was done

She cast her eyes about

And there she saw little Matty Groves

Walking in the crowd

"Come home with me, little Matty Groves

Come home with me tonight

Come home with me, little Matty Groves

And sleep with me 'til light"

"Oh, I can't come home, I won't come home

And sleep with you tonight

By the rings on your fingers

I can tell you are Lord Donald's wife"

"But if I am Lord Donald's wife

Lord Donald's not at home

He is out in the far cornfields

Bringing the yearlings home"

...

And a servant who was standing by

And hearing what was said

He swore Lord Donald he would know

Before the sun would set

And in his hurry to carry the news

He bent his breast and ran

And when he came to the broad mill stream

He took off his shoes and he swam

...

Little Matty Groves, he lay down

And took a little sleep

When he awoke, Lord Donald

Was standing at his feet

Saying, "How do you like my feather bed

And how do you like my sheet?

How do you like my lady

Who lies in your arms asleep?"

"Oh well, I like your feather bed

And well, I like your sheets

But better I like your lady gay

Who lies in my arms asleep"

"Well, get up, get up", Lord Donald cried

"Get up as quick as you can

It'll never be said in fair England

I slew a naked man"

"Oh, I can't get up, I won't get up

I can't get up for my life

For you have two long beaten swords

And I not a pocket knife"

"Well, it's true I have two beaten swords

And they cost me deep in the purse

But you will have the better of them

And I will have the worse"

"And you will strike the very first blow

And strike it like a man

I will strike the very next blow

And I'll kill you if I can"

...

So Matty struck the very first blow

And he hurt Lord Donald sore

Lord Donald struck the very next blow

And Matty struck no more

And then Lord Donald he took his wife

And he sat her on his knee

Saying, "Who do you like the best of us

Matty Groves or me?"

And then up spoke his own dear wife

Never heard to speak so free

"I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips

Than you or your finery"

...

Lord Donald, he jumped up

And loudly he did bawl

He struck his wife right through the heart

And pinned her against the wall

"A grave, a grave", Lord Donald cried

"To put these lovers in

But bury my lady at the top

For she was of noble kin"

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wife /waɪf/ A1	noun - a married woman
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest with closed eyes
hear /hɪər/ A1	verb - to perceive with the ear
saw /sɔː/ A1	verb - past tense of see; to perceive with the eyes
tell /tel/ A1	verb - to communicate information
standing /ˈstændɪŋ/ A2	verb - to be in or rise to an upright position
swore /swɔːr/ B1	verb - past tense of swear: to make a solemn promise
feet /fiːt/ A1	noun - plural of foot: the lower extremity of the leg below the ankle
like /laɪk/ A1	verb - to find enjoyable
cried /kraɪd/ A2	verb - past tense of cry; to shed tears
swords /sɔːrdz/ B1	noun - plural of sword; a weapon with a long metal blade
strike /straɪk/ B1	verb - to hit forcefully
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain or injury
dead /ded/ A1	adjective - no longer alive
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - an organ that pumps blood
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - a burial place
noble /ˈnoʊbl/ B2	adjective - belonging to a hereditary upper class

Key Grammar Structures

• Lord Donald's wife came into the church The gospel for to hear

  ➔ Archaic use of "for to" + infinitive.

  ➔ The structure "for to" + infinitive (e.g., "for to hear") is an archaic construction used to express purpose. It's similar to "in order to hear" or "to hear" but with an older, more formal sound. The line means Lord Donald's wife went to the church in order to hear the gospel.

• And there she saw little Matty Groves Walking in the crowd

  ➔ Present participle "walking" as reduced relative clause or adverbial modifier describing Matty Groves.

  ➔ The word "walking" acts as a participle modifying "Matty Groves." It could be interpreted as a reduced relative clause ("who was walking") or an adverbial modifier of circumstance describing Matty's state. The line means she saw Matty Groves while he was walking in the crowd.

• "Oh, I can't come home, I won't come home And sleep with you tonight

  ➔ Use of contractions "can't" and "won't" for negation.

  ➔ "Can't" is the contraction of "cannot," and "won't" is the contraction of "will not." These are common ways to express negation. Matty Groves refuses the lady's invitation.

• By the rings on your fingers I can tell you are Lord Donald's wife

  ➔ Inversion of subject and verb in "I can tell".

  ➔ While the typical sentence structure is "I can tell," the inversion "can I tell" is often used for emphasis or in questions (though not here as it's a statement). Here, it creates a slightly more formal or emphatic tone. A more common (and less archaic) phrasing is "I can tell that you are Lord Donald's wife."

• He swore Lord Donald he would know Before the sun would set

  ➔ Omission of "that" in the subordinate clause after "swore".

  ➔ The "that" connecting "He swore" and "Lord Donald he would know" is implied. While grammatically correct with "that", its omission is common, especially in older texts or informal speech. The complete phrase would be "He swore *that* Lord Donald he would know..."

• "It'll never be said in fair England I slew a naked man"

  ➔ Use of future passive voice: "It'll never be said".

  ➔ "It'll never be said" is a future passive construction. "It'll" is the contraction of "it will," and "be said" is the passive form. The line means: "The statement/accusation that I killed a naked man will never be made in England."

• "I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips Than you or your finery"

  ➔ Use of "I'd rather" to express preference and comparative structure with "than".

  ➔ "I'd rather" (I would rather) is used to express a preference. The "than" introduces what is being compared to. The wife is stating she prefers a kiss from the dead Matty Groves over Lord Donald or his wealth/appearance.