Have you heard of the blind harper
How he'd have been Loch Labben [?] town
How he went down to fair England
To steal King Henry's wanton brown

First he went unto his wife
With all the haste could go did he
"This work" he said, "It'll never go well"
"Without the help of our good grey mare"

Says she, "Take the good grey mare"
"She'll o'er hills both long and high"
"Go take the halter in your hose"
"And leave her foal at home with me"

So he is up to England gone
He went as fast as go could he
When he got to Carlisle gates
Who should be there but King Henry

"Come in, come in, you bold harper"
"And of your music let me hear"
But up and says the blind harper,
"I'd rather have a stable for my mare"

The king he looks over his left shoulder
And he says unto his stable groom
"Go take the poor blind harper's mare"
"And put her beside me wanton brown"

Then he's harped and then he's sang
'Till he played them all so sound asleep
And quietly he took off his shoes
And down the stairs he did creep

Straight to the stable door he goes
With a tread so light as light could be
And when he opened and went in
There he found thirty steeds and three

And he took a halter from his hose
And from his purpose he did not fail
He slipped it over the wanton's nose
And he's tied it to the grey mare's tail

And he went and loosed the castle gate
And the mare didn't fail to find her way
She's back to her own colt foal
Three long hours before the day

So then in the morning fair daylight
When they had ended all their cheer
Behold the wanton brown has gone
And so was the poor blind harper's mare

And oh and alas is the blind harper
"However alas that I came here"
"In Scotland I've got me a little colt foal"
"and in England they've stolen my good grey mare"

"Hold your toungue" says King Henry,
"And all your mournings let them be"
"For you shall get a far better mare"
"And well paid shall your colt's foal be"

Again he harped and again he sang
Sweet was the music he let then hear
And he was paid for a foal that he never had lost
And three times over for the good grey mare.

---
Traditional
From Nic Jones on "For the Devil a Stranger"