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Versurile Phil Ochs - The Highwayman
Versuri The Highwayman
By Alfred Noyes
---------------------------------
Part One
I
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the
gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy
seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the
purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-
Riding-riding-
The highwayman came riding, up to the old
inn-door.
II
He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch
of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of
brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were
up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled
sky.
III
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the
dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but
all was locked and barred;
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.
IV
And dark in the old inn-yard a stable-wicket
creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white
and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like
mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped
daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the
robber say-
V
One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize
to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before
the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me
through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell
should bar the way.
VI
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could
reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His
face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling
over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet black waves in the
moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and
galloped away to the West.
Part Two
I
He did not come in the dawning; he did not come
at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o'
the moon,
When the road was a gipsy's ribbon, looping the
purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching-
Marching-marching-
King George's men came marching, up to the old
inn-door.
II
They said no word to the landlord, they drank his
ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the
foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets
at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through the casement, the
road that he would ride.
III
They had tied her up to attention, with many a
sniggering jest;
They bound a musket beside her, with the barrel
beneath her breast!
Now keep good watch! and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say-
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell
should bar the way!
IV
She twisted her hands behind her; but all the
knots held good!
She writhed her hands till here fingers were wet
with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and
the hours crawled by like
years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at
least was hers!
V
The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no
more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel
beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not
strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight
throbbed to her love's refrain.
VI
Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The
horse-hoofs
ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they
deaf that they did
not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of
the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood
up strait and still!
VII
Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in
the echoing night
!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a
light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one
last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the
moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned
him-with her death.
VIII
He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not
know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched
with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey
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.
IX
Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse
to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his
rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon;
wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a
bunch of lace at his throat.
* * * * * *
X
And still of 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,
A highwayman comes riding-
Riding-riding-
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old
inn-door.
XI
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the
dark inn-yard,
And he taps with his whip on the shutters, but
all is locked and barred;
He whistles 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.
By Alfred Noyes and Phil Ochs
------------------------------------------------
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.
Phil Ochs ultima melodie muzica straina The Highwayman cuvinte cantece versuri melodia melodiei ultima melodie. Cuvinte melodiei cuvinte asculta youtube.com versurile versuri.
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