Of All the Birds That Ever I See
(Wherein the men do speak their mind, and the women, theirs.)
Of all the birds
That ever I see,
The owl is the fairest
In her degree.
For all the day long
She sits in a tree,
And when the night comes,
Away flies she.
To whit, to woo,
To whom drinks thou,
Sir Knave, to thee.
This song is well sung,
And I make you a vow,
That he is a knave
That drinketh now.
This song is well sung,
And I make you a vow,
That he is a knave
That drinketh now.
Nose, nose, nose, nose,
And who gave thee
That jolly red nose?
Cinnamint and Ginger,
Nutmeg and Cloves,
And that gave thee
Thy jolly red nose.
Nose, nose, nose, nose,
And who gave thee
That jolly red nose?
Cinnamint and Ginger,
Nutmeg and Cloves,
And that gave thee
Thy jolly red nose.
(Verse the second, wherein the men do sing:)
I’ll not have a woman
Who’s never been tried,
But give me a wanton
To lie by my side.
And this I do use
As the rule of my life,
That wanton is best
Who’s another man’s wife.
Nose, nose, &c.
(Verse the third, where the women do answer:)
You’ll not have us, sirs,
Although you may try,
But we do not deign
With drunkards to lie.
For Ale-Knights do claim
Our fields they will plow,
But they always deliver
Much less than they vow.
Nose, nose, &c.