We shepherds are the best of men who e'er trod English ground And when we reach an alehouse we value not a crown We drinks our liquor freely and pays before we go For there is no ale out on the wold where the stormy winds do blow A man who is a shepherd must have a valiant heart He must not be too timid, but bravely play his part He must not be faint-hearted, be it ice or rain or snow For there is no ale out on the wold where the stormy winds do blow We shepherds are the best of men who e'er trod English ground And when we reach an alehouse we value not a crown We drinks our liquor freely and pays before we go For there is no ale out on the wold where the stormy winds do blow When I kept sheep on Blockley Hill it made my heart to weep To see the ewes hang out their tongues and hear the lambs to bleat So I plucked up me courage and o'er the hills did go For to pen my sheep out in the fold where the stormy winds do blow We shepherds are the best of men who e'er trod English ground And when we reach an alehouse we value not a crown We drinks our liquor freely and pays before we go For there is no ale out on the wold where the stormy winds do blow And when I safely pen my sheep, I turned my back in haste Unto some jovial company, good liquor for to taste For drink and jovial company, they are my heart's delight While my sheep safely sleep until the morning light We shepherds are the best of men who e'er trod English ground And when we reach an alehouse we value not a crown We drinks our liquor freely and we pays before we go For there is no ale out on the wold where the stormy winds do blow