It's of two noble butchers as I have heard men say
Started out from London all on a market day
And as they were a-riding as fast as they could be.
``Oh stop your horse,'' says Johnson, ``for I hear some
woman cry.''
``I will not stop,'' says Wilson, ``I will not stop,''
says he.
``I will not stop,'' says Wilson, ``for robbed we shall
be.''
Johnson he got off his horse, searched the wood all
round,
And there he spied a woman with her hair pinned to the
ground.
``How came you here dear woman? How came you here fast
bound?
``How came you here this morning with your hair pinned
to the ground?''
``Oh they robbed me, they stripped me, they left me
here fast bound,
They left me here this morning with my hair pinned to
the ground.''
Chorus:
May God keep all good people,
May God keep all good people,
May God keep all good people from such bad company.
Then Johnson he being a valiant man and a man of
courage bold,
He took his coat from off his back to keep her from the
cold,
And as they were a-riding as fast as they could ride,
She put a whistle to her mouth and she gave three
shivering cries.
Up jumped three bold and swaggering men with swords all
in their hands,
Who then commanded Johnson, commanded him to stand.
``I'll stop, I'll stand,'' says Johnson, ``as long as I
can stand,
For never was I, in all my life, afraid of any man.''
Chorus
Oh two of them he quickly slew and the third he did not
mind
'Til the false young woman took a knife and stabbed him
from behind.
Poor Johnson he spun around and he fell down to the
ground,
And he cursed that wretched woman who gave him his
death wound.
Now the day it being a market day, there were people
travelling by
Who saw the awful murder, who saw poor Johnson die.
Oh Johnson he was a valiant man, and a valiant man was
he,
May God keep all good people from such bad company.
Chorus
