Navvy Boots

A digging and a-picking as I was one day
The thought of my true love it led me astray.
The day it was gone and the night coming on
And I hit for the road with my navvy boots on.

I knocked at my love's window, my knock she did know
And out of her slumber she wakened so slow.
I knocked there again, and she said " Is that John? "
" Yes indeed it's me with my navvy boots on. "

She opened the door and invited me in
" Draw up to the fire and warm your skin. "
The bedroom door was open and the blankets turned down
And I rolled into bed with my navvy boots on.

Then early the next morning at the dawn of the day,
Says I to my true love, " It's time to go away. "
" Sleep down, sleep down, you know you've done wrong
For to sleep here at night with your navvy boots on. "

O I bent down my head with a laugh and a smile
Saying "What could I do, love, in that length of time?
For all that I've done it was just a bit of fun
And I'll do it again with my navvy boots on."

The six months being over and seven after this
This pretty fair maid grew stout around the waist
Then eight months being over and nine comes along
And she handed me a son with his navvy boots on.

Come all you pretty fair maids take heed what I have said
Don't ever let a navvy come into your bed,
For their hearts do run light and their minds do run young
Sure they'll jump on your bones with their navvy boots on.

From The Seeds of Love, Sedley
RG