"It Was a Lover and His Lass"

written by


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It was a lover and his lass,
 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o’er the green cornfield did pass,
 In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Between the acres of the rye,
 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
Those pretty country folks would lie,
 In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

This carol they began that hour,
 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
 In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

And therefore take the present time,
 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crownèd with the prime
 In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

© William Shakespeare