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The Cottage in the Wood Lyrics by Martin Carthy

Sweet Wivelsfield

0

It's of a cottage in a wood
All underneath a hill he stood
Of a cottage in the wood
All underneath the hill he stood
Which I never seen before
Which I never seen before
By there come a pedlar man
Through and through the woods he ran
By there come the pedlar man
As through and through the woods he ran
And he cried all at the door
And he cried all at the door
Oh it's forty miles I travelled today
Spied a cottage by the way
Forty miles I travelled today
I spied a cottage by the way
Which I never seen before
Which I never seen before
Lady looked out of her window so high
She saw the pedlar standing by
Lady looked out of her window so high
She saw the pedlar standing by
Sing your song you pedlar man
Your song you lately have begun
For me Mum and Dad are fast asleep
Brothers have gone to mind the sheep
Mum and Dad are fast asleep
Brothers have gone to mind the sheep
And I dare not let you in
And I dare not let you in
Oh but it rains it flows it hails and snows
And I am wet all through my clothes
Oh it rains it flows it hails it snows
And I am wet all through my clothes
And I pray you let me in
And I pray you let me in
For me and my pack is worth twenty pound
All in silver and gold to find
For me and my pack is worth twenty pound
All in silver and gold to find
Freely I would give it to thee
All to lie one night with thee
And he has sworn by his hair of red
He would have her maidenhead
He has sworn by his hair of red
That he would have her maidenhead
And he cried all at the door
And he cried all at the door
Oh but it rains it flows it hails it snows
And I am wet all through my clothes
Oh it rains it flows it hails it snows
And I am wet all through my clothes
And I pray you let me in
I pray you let me in
No kind sir that never can be
There's nobody in the house by me
No kind sir that never can be
There's nobody in the house by me
And I dare not let you in
I dare not let you in
You must read my riddle and read it right
If you would lie with me this night
You must read my riddle and read it right
If you would lie with me this night
Riddle me reet and riddle me right
Where was I on Saturday night
If water was my prison to be
I would swim for liberty
If water was my prison to be
I would swim for liberty
So what was the boat you built for me
Down the woods and under a tree
For one moonlit night as I sat high
I looked for one but two came by*
For one moonlit night as I sat high
I looked for one but two came by
The boughs did bend the leaves did shake
To see the hole that the fox did make
The pedlar cursed the pedlar swore
So loudly beat all at the door
The pedlar cursed the pedlar swore
So loudly beat all at the door
Get you gone you pedlar man
For I know you and where you're from
And she has looked out of her window so high
She's spied her brothers come riding by
She looked out of her window so high
She's spied her brothers come riding by
Get you gone you pedlar man
For I know you and where you're from
Seven brothers came to the door
So loudly they the horn did blow
Seven brothers came to the door
So loudly they the horn did blow
Down on his knees the pedlar fall
For mercy he did shout and bawl
Oh it's all night long your grave I made
All day long in wait I laid
All night long your grave I made
And all day long in wait I laid
The lady laughed the lady sang
As through the woods the pedlar ran
Around his heels the hounds they ran
As round his head the bullets rang
Round his heels the hounds they ran
As round his head the bullets rang
The boughs did bend the leaves did shake
To hear the cries that the fox did make
Credits
Martin Carthy

Martin Carthy

About “The Cottage in the Wood” by Martin Carthy

Read the complete lyrics to "The Cottage in the Wood" by Martin Carthy from the album "Sweet Wivelsfield". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"The Cottage in the Wood" is performed by Martin Carthy. from the album "Sweet Wivelsfield" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Cottage in the Wood", explore more songs by Martin Carthy using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Cottage in the Wood" is credited to Martin Carthy. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Cottage in the Wood" appears on "Sweet Wivelsfield".

Visit the Martin Carthy artist page at /artist/martin-carthy for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.