The Lark in the Morning

O the lark in the morning she rises from her nest

and she mounts all in the bright air with the dew upon her breast.

And like the pretty plough boy she'll whistle, and she'll sing.

And at night she will return to her nest once again.

Lie still my fond shepherd and don't you rise yet.

It's a cold and dewy morning and besides, my Love, it's wet.

Oh, let it be wet my Love and ever so cold,

I will rise my fond Flora and away to my fold.

I must rise with the morning, when the birds begin to sing.

When the bright sun is shining and the lark is on the wing.

But when day is over, and the sun is in the west,

I'll return to my Flora, like the lark to her nest.

      This interpretation of the stunning melody 'The Lark in the Morning' embraces the gentle, lyrical spirit of English folk tradition. It tells of a shepherd and his wife exchanging tender words at dawn. Though he must rise to tend his flock, he promises to return as faithfully as the lark returns to her nest. The Lark in the Morning has been recorded by Steeleye Span, Maddy Prior, Jackie Oates, and preserved in field recordings by Dorothy Bavey, The Copper Family, and Paddy Tunney.