Joan Baez - Mary Hamilton

on her first album ( “joan baez” ) , baez does this in the key of B . ( in “the joan baez
song book” , it’s in D . )

C F C G7
word is to the kitchen gone , and word is to the hall ,
F G7 C Am
and word is up to madam the queen
C G7 C
and that is the worst of all .
F G7 C Am C G7 C
that mary hamilton has borne a babe , to the highest stuart of all .

C F C G7
“arise , arise mary hamilton , arise and tell to me ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
what thou hast done with thy wee babe i saw and heard weep by thee?”

C F C G7
“i put him in a tiny boat , and cast him out to sea ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
that he might sink or he might swim , but he’d never come back to me . ”

C F C G7
“arise , arise mary hamilton , arise and come with me;
F G7 C Am C G7 C
there is a wedding in glasgow town , this night we’ll go and see . ”

C F C G7
she put not on her robes of black , nor her robes of brown .
F G7 C Am C G7 C
but she put on her robes of white , to ride into glasgow town .

C F C G7
and as she rode into glasgow town the city for to see ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
the bailiff’s wife and the provost’s wife cried “ach and alas for thee . ”

C F C G7
“ah you need not weep for me , ” she cried , “you need not weep for me .
F G7 C Am C G7 C
for had i not slain my own wee babe this night i would not die . ”

C F C G7
ah little did my mother think when first she cradled me ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
the lands i was to travel in and the death i was to die . ”

C F C G7
last night i washed the queen’s feet and put the gold in her hair ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
and the only reward i find for this is the gallows to be my share . ”

C F C G7
“cast off , cast off my gown , ” she cried , “but let my petticoat be ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
and tie a napkin ’round my face; the gallows i would not see . ”

C F C G7
then by and come the king himself , looked up with a pitiful eye ,
F G7 C Am C G7 C
“come down , come down mary hamilton , tonight , you will dine with me . ”

C F C G7
“ah hold your tongue , my sovereign liege , and let your folly be;
F G7 C Am C G7 C
for if you’d a mind to save my life , you’d never have shamed me here .

C F C G7
last night there were four marys , tonight there’ll be but three .
F G7 C Am C G7 C
there was mary beaton and mary seaton and mary carmichael and me . ”