Christmas comes but once a year And the green leaves, they are fallen Young Edmund on his pillow lay For love of Barbara Allen He sent his servants out one day To the place where she was dwelling My master wants one word with you If your name be Barbara Allen One word from me he never will get Nor any young man breathing One word from me he never will get If his heart was fairly breaking "Rise up, rise up," her father did say "Rise up and go and see him" Oh father, oh father, do you mind the day When you were going to shoot him? "Rise up, rise up," her mother did say "Rise up and go and see him" Oh mother, oh mother, do you mind the day When you told me for to shun him? So slowly, slowly she got up And slowly she puts on her And slowly to his bedside Saying, "Young man, you are dying" I'm lying low and very, very ill And the grave shall be my dwelling One kiss from you would cure me now My bonny Barbara Allen One kiss from me you never will get Nor any young man breathing One kiss from me you never will get If your heart was fairly breaking Look up, look up at my bed head And there you will see it lying A golden basin full of tears Being shed for Barbara Allen Look up, look up at my bed head And there you will see it hanging My gold watch and my silver chain Bestow to Barbara Allen He turned his pale face to the wall And death came to him creeping Farewell, farewell to my friends all And be kind to Barbara Allen Oh she looked east and she looked west And she heard the small birds singing They sang so sweet and seemed to say Hard-hearted Barbara Allen As she went on the highway home She spied his corpse a-coming Lay down, lay down that corpse in clay That I may look upon him As she went up her father's lane She heard the death bells knelling And every jolt that death bell gave It was woe to Barbara Allen Oh mother, oh mother, go dig my grave Go dig it long and narrow My young man died for me today And for him I'll die tomorrow One was buried in St. Mary's churchyard The other in St. Peter's Out of her grave there grew a red rose And out of his a briar They grew high, so very, very high 'Til they could go no higher They met at the top in a true lover's knot And it's there they'll remain forever 1