The Highwayman

C                         Em 
The wind was a torrent of darkness 
  Am 
Among the gusty trees 
    Em                 F 
The moon was a ghostly galleon 
Dm                 G7 
Tossed upon cloudy seas 
        C                    Em 
And the road was a ribbon of moonlight 
Am 
Over the purple moor 
        F               C       E       Am 
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding 
         F               C 
Yes, the highwayman came riding 
Dm                G7 
Up to the old inn door 
Over the cobbles he clattered 
And clashed in the darkened yard 
And he tapped with his whip at the window 
But all was locked and barred 
So he whistled a tune to the window 
And who should be waiting there 
But the landlord's black eyed daughter 
Bess the landlord's daughter 
Plaiting a dark red love knot 
Into her long black hair 
One kiss, my bonny sweetheart 
For I'm after a prize tonight 
But I shall be back with the yellow gold 
Before the morning light 
Yet if they press me sharply 
Harry me through the day 
Oh, then look for me by moonlight 
Watch for me by moonlight 
And I'll come to thee by moonlight 
Though Hell should bar the way 
He did not come at the dawning 
No, he did not come at the noon 
And out of the tawny sunset 
before the rise of the moon 
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon 
Looping the purple moor 
Oh a redcoat troop came marching, marching, marching 
King George's men came marching 
Up to the old inn door 
And they bound the landlord's daughter 
with many a sniggering jest 
And they bound the musket beside her 
With the barrel beneath her breast 
Now keep good watch and they kissed her 
She heard the dead man say 
"Oh look for me by moonlight 
Watch for me by moonlight 
And I'll come to thee by moonlight 
Though Hell should bar the way" 
Look for me by moonlight 
Hoof beats ringing clear 
Watch for me by moonlight 
Were they deaf that they did not hear 
For he rode on the gypsy highway 
She breathed one final breath 
Then her finger moved in the moonlight 
Her musket shattered the moonlight 
And it shattered her breast in the moonlight 
And warned him with her death 
Oh he turned; he spurred on to the west 
He did not know who stood 
Out with her black hair a flowing down 
Drenched with her own red blood 
Oh not 'til the dawn had he heard it 
And his face grew gray to hear 
How Bess the landlord's daughter 
The landlord's black eyed daughter 
Had watched for her love in the moonlight 
And died in the darkness there 
C                      Em 
Back he spurred like a madman 
                         Am 
Shrieking a curse to the sky 
         Em                F           
With the white road smoking behind him 
        Dm                G 
And his rapier brandished high 
C                               Em 
Blood red were his spurs in the golden noon 
Am 
Wine red his velvet coat 
          F                    C 
When they shot him down on the highway 
E                      Am 
Down like a dog on the highway 
       F                       C 
And he lay in his blood on the highway 
       F                    G 
With a bunch of lace at his throat 
And still on a winter's night they say 
When the wind is in the trees 
When the moon is a ghostly galleon 
Tossed upon cloudy seas 
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight 
Over the purple moor 
Oh the highwayman comes riding, riding, riding 
Yes the highwayman comes riding 
Up to the old inn door.