When I had known only eighteen summers
I headed West through
the Whitley Wood
To make my fortune and
to find a lover
And to lead the best life a young man could
Ly, ly ly ly, ly ly ly
Oh ly ly ly, ly ly ly, ly ly ly
And by the lakeside just South of Didcot
I spied an angel just standing there
She was a traveller
But she was pretty
And clean
She was in the water washing her hair
I lost my heart to a lady gypsy
So long ago I forget her name
But I
Still remember the smell of the flowers
And the way my life would never be the same
She laid me down on a bed of heather
She said:
"Please be careful this is what I sell"
I said:
"You're a hooker?"
She said: "No, I mean the heather
I sell the heather like a lucky spell"
I said:
"But to be clear then
The sex is free yes?"
She said:
"Yes the sex is free
The heather's a pound"
I said:
"I don't need no heather
And if I did I would just pick some, it's free
It's growing in the ground"
I lost my heart to a lady gypsy
So long ago I forget her name
But I
Still remember the
Smell of the flowers
And the way my life would never be the same
I lost my heart to a lady gypsy
So long ago I forget her name
But I
Still remember the
Smell of the flowers
And the way my life would never be the same
When I had known only
Eighteen summers