The Highwayman Loreena McKennitt
[Intro 1]
[Dm] [F] [C] [Dm]
[Dm] [F] [C] [G]
[Intro 2]
[Dm] [A#] [C] [Dm]
[Dm] [A#] [C] [G]
[Verse]
[Dm]The wind was a torrent of darkness a[A#]mong the g[C]usty t[Dm]rees
[Dm]The moon was a ghostly galleon tosse[A#]d upon the[C] cloud[Dm]y seas
[G]The road was a [C]ribbon of [F]moon[C]light [Dm]over the [A#]purple [C]moor
And the [G]highway[C]man came r[F]idi[C]ng,
[Dm]Riding, [A#]rid[C]ing,
[Dm]The highway[C]man came r[F]iding, up t[Dm]o the [A#]old inn-[G]door.
[Dm]He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, a b[A#]unch of l[C]ace at his [Dm]chin,
[Dm]A coat of claret velvet, and b[A#]reeches of brow[C]n doe-[Dm]skin;
[G]They fitted with ne[C]ver a w[F]rink[C]le; hi[Dm]s boots were [A#]up to the [C]thigh!
And he r[G]ode with a j[C]ewelled t[F]win[C]kle,
[Dm]His pistol b[A#]utts a-t[C]winkle,
[Dm]His rapier [C]hilt a-twi[F]nkle, under[Dm] the j[A#]ewelled [G]sky.
[Dm]Over the cobbles he clattered and cl[A#]ashed in the da[C]rk inn[Dm]yard,
And he tap[Dm]ped with his whip on the shutters, but a[A#]ll was l[C]ocked and [Dm]barred;
He [G]whistled a t[C]une to the w[F]indo[C]w, and w[Dm]ho should be wa[A#]iting t[C]here
But the l[G]andlord's b[C]lack-eyed d[F]aug[C]hter,
[Dm]Bess, the la[A#]ndlord's d[C]aughter,
[Dm]Plaiting a [C]dark red l[F]ove-knot in[Dm]to her l[A#]ong black [G]hair.
"O[Dm]ne kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm af[A#]ter a p[C]rize ton[Dm]ight,
But [Dm]I shall be back with the yellow gold befo[A#]re the mo[C]rning [Dm]light;
[G]Yet if they p[C]ress me sh[F]arpl[C]y, and h[Dm]arry me t[A#]hrough the [C]day,
Then l[G]ook for m[C]e by the m[F]oon[C]light,
[Dm]Watch for m[A#]e by the m[C]oonlight,
[Dm]I'll come t[C]o thee by [F]the moonlig[Dm]ht, thou[A#]gh hell sh[G]ould bar the way.
[Dm]He rose upright in the stirrups; he [A#]scarce could re[C]ach her [Dm]hand
[Dm]But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His [A#]face burnt l[C]ike a [Dm]brand
[G]As the black ca[C]scade of p[F]erfu[C]me came [Dm]tumbling [A#]over his br[C]east;
And he k[G]issed its w[C]aves in the m[F]oon[C]light,
(Oh, [Dm]sweet black [A#]waves in the m[C]oonlight!)
Then he t[Dm]ugged at his r[C]ein in the m[F]oonlight, and [Dm]galloped a[A#]way to the [G]west.
He[Dm] did not come at the dawning; he d[A#]id not c[C]ome at[Dm] noon,
[Dm]And out of the tawny sunset, be[A#]fore the r[C]ise o' the [Dm]moon,
[G]When the road was a g[C]ypsy's [F]ribb[C]on, l[Dm]ooping the [A#]purple [C]moor,
A re[G]d-coat [C]troop came m[F]arc[C]hing,
[Dm]March[A#]ing, m[C]arching
King Geor[Dm]ge's [C]men came [F]marching, up [Dm]to the [A#]old inn-[G]door.
[Dm]They said no word to the landlord, they d[A#]rank his a[C]le ins[Dm]tead,
[Dm]But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foo[A#]t of her n[C]arrow [Dm]bed;
[G]Two of them kne[C]lt at the [F]case[C]ment, with m[Dm]uskets [A#]at their [C]side!
There was de[G]ath at [C]every w[F]ind[C]ow
And h[Dm]ell at o[A#]ne dark w[C]indow;
For [Dm]Bess could s[C]ee, through the ca[F]sement,
The ro[Dm]ad that h[A#]e would [G]ride.
They had t[Dm]ied her up to attention, with [A#]many a sn[C]iggering [Dm]jest;
They had b[Dm]ound a musket beside her, with the b[A#]arrel bene[C]ath her [Dm]breast!
"now k[G]eep good w[C]atch!" And they k[F]issed [C]her.She [Dm]heard the [A#]dead man [C]say
"L[G]ook for [C]me by the [F]moo[C]nlight
Wa[Dm]tch for [A#]me by the m[C]oonlight
I'll [Dm]come to [C]thee by the m[F]oonlight,
though [Dm]hell should b[A#]ar the w[G]ay!"
[Dm]She twisted her hands behind her, but all [A#]the knots [C]held g[Dm]ood!
[Dm]She writhed her hands till her fingers were [A#]wet with s[C]weat o[Dm]r blood!
They s[G]tretched and st[C]rained in [F]the [C]darkness and the h[Dm]ours crawled by[A#] like y[C]ears!
Till, no[G]w, on the s[C]troke of m[F]idn[C]ight,
Co[Dm]ld, on the s[A#]troke of mi[C]dnight,
The t[Dm]ip of one fi[C]nger t[F]ouched it!
The tr[Dm]igger at l[A#]east was [G]hers!
[Bridge]
[Dm] [A#] [C]
[G]
[Dm]Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The ho[A#]rse-hoofs were r[C]inging[Dm] clear
[Dm]Tlot-tlot, in the distance! Were they d[A#]eaf that they [C]did not [Dm]hear?
[G]Down the r[C]ibbon of m[F]oonl[C]ight, [Dm]over the b[A#]row of the [C]hill,
The hi[G]ghway[C]man came r[F]idi[C]ng,
[Dm]Ridi[A#]ng, r[C]iding!
The r[Dm]ed-coats l[C]ooked to their [F]priming!
She [Dm]stood up s[A#]traight and [G]still!
[Dm]Tlot in the frosty silence! T[A#]lot, in the e[C]choing[Dm] night!
[Dm]Nearer he came and nearer! Her f[A#]ace was [C]like a[Dm] light!
[G]Her eyes grew w[C]ide for a [F]mome[C]nt! She [Dm]drew one l[A#]ast deep [C]breath,
Then her f[G]inger m[C]oved in the [F]moo[C]nlight,
Her [Dm]musket s[A#]hattered the [C]moonlight,
Shat[Dm]tered her [C]breast in the [F]moonlight
and wa[Dm]rned him w[A#]ith her [G]death.
[Dm]He turned; he spurred to the west; he d[A#]id not k[C]now she [Dm]stood
[Dm]Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched w[A#]ith her [C]own red [Dm]blood!
[G]Not till the [C]dawn he h[F]eard [C]it; his [Dm]face grew [A#]grey to [C]hear
How [G]Bess, the l[C]andlord's d[F]aug[C]hter,
The la[Dm]ndlord's b[A#]lack-eyed d[C]aughter,
Had w[Dm]atched for her l[C]ove in the m[F]oonlight,
and d[Dm]ied in the d[A#]arkness [G]there.
[Dm]Back, he spurred like a madman, s[A#]hrieking a c[C]urse to the [Dm]sky
[Dm]With the white road smoking behind him and his [A#]rapier [C]brandished[Dm] high!
Blood-red [G]were the [C]spurs i' the [F]gold no[C]on; wine-[Dm]red was his [A#]velvet [C]coat,
When they sh[G]ot him [C]down on the h[F]igh[C]way,
D[Dm]own like a [A#]dog on the [C]highway,
And he l[Dm]ay in his [C]blood on the [F]highway,
with the b[Dm]unch of l[A#]ace at his [G]throat.
[Bridge2]
[Dm] [F] [C] [Dm]
[Dm] [F] [C] [G]
[Dm]Still of a winter's night, they s[A#]ay, when the [C]wind's in the t[Dm]rees,
[Dm]When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed u[A#]pon the[C] cloudy [Dm]seas,
[G]When the road is a r[C]ibbon of m[F]oonl[C]ight [Dm]over the [A#]purple [C]moor,
A h[G]ighway[C]man comes r[F]idi[C]ng,
[Dm]Rid[A#]ing, r[C]iding,
A h[Dm]ighway[C]man comes r[F]iding,
up t[Dm]o the [A#]old inn-[G]door.
[End]
[Dm] [A#] [C] [Dm]
[Dm] [F] [C] [Dm]
[Dm] [F] [C] [G]
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