There Was a Little Woman

There was a little woman,

As I have heard tell.

She went to market,

Her eggs for to sell.

She went to market

All on a market day,

And she fell asleep

On the king’s highway.

There came by a pedlar.

His name was Stout.

He cut her petticoats

All round about.

He cut her petticoats

Up to her knees

Which made the little woman

To shiver and sneeze.

When this little woman

Began to awake,

She began to shiver

And she began to shake.

She began to shake

And she began to cry,

“Lawk a mercy on me,

This is none of I!

“But if this be I,

As I do hope it be,

I have a little dog at home

And he knows me.

If it be I,

He’ll wag his little tail,

And if it be not I

He’ll loudly bark and wail!”

Home went the little woman

All in the dark.

Up starts the little dog

And he began to bark.

He began to bark

And she began to cry,

“Lawk a mercy on me,

This is none of I!”