Bonny Black Hare (Angel Delight)
By Marcel Veltman
A very entertaining story of which I am absolutely convinced it never happened, at least
not to Dave Swarbrick who was Fairport’s lead singer on this record. If you find it
difficult to do the quick C, F, Am just hold the Am all the way through these parts. Your
audience will be too pre-occupied listening to the text to notice anyway. The words
between (*)I am not sure about. Suggestions are welcome.
Am C G Am
At the fourteenth of may at the dawn of the day
C F Am
With the gun on me shoulder to the woods I did stray
C F Am
In search of some game if the weather grew fair
C G Am
To see could I get a shot at the bonny black hare
Well, I met a young girl there with a face as a rose
And her skin was as fair as the lilys at close
I says me fair maiden why ramble you so
Can you tell me where the bonny black hare is to go
Oh, the answer she gave me her answer was no
But it sound to me (aprin*) they say you to go
And if you not decieve me I bow and declare
We both go together to hunt the bonny black hair
Well, the lady-girl’s down with her face to the sky
And I took out me ramrod and me bullets likewise
I said lock your legs around me and begin with your heels
For the closer we get, oh, the better it feels
And the birds they were singing in the bushes and trees
And the song that they sang was obvious easy to please
And I felt a heart quiver and I knew what I’d done
Since I had you have enough of me old sporting gun
Well, the answer she gave me, her answer was nay
It’s enough that young sportsmen like you comes this way
And if your powder is willing and your bullets fly fair
Why don’t you keep firing at the bonny black hair
Well, me powder is wasted and me bullets all gone
Me ramrod is limb and I cannot fire on
But I’ll be back in the morning and if you are still here
We’ll both go together again to hunt the bonny black hare
