The Wife of Usher's Well

There lived a wife at Usher's Well
 And a wealthy wife was she
 She had three stout and stalwart sons
 And she sent them o'er the sea
 They hadna been a month frae her
 Not one month and a day
 Till cauld, cauld Death come o'er the land
 And he stole those boys away
 She said "I wish the wind would never mair blaw
 Nor fish swim in the flood
 Till my my three boys come hame tae me
 In earthly flesh and blood
 In earthly flesh and blood"
 Well it fell aboot the Martinmas time
 When the nichts are lang and mirk
 The carlin wife's three boys come hame
 And their hats were o' the birk
 That neither grew in any wood
 Nor down by any wall
 But at the gates o Paradise
 Aye, the birken tree grew tall
 So she has laid the table braid
 Wi bread and blood red wine
 "Come eat and drink my bonnie boys
 Come and eat and drink o mine"
 "Oh mither bread we cannae eat
 Nor can we drink the wine
 For cauld, cauld death is Lord of All
 And to him we must resign"
 "For the green, green grass is at oor heads
 And the clay is at oor feet
 And how your tears come tumbling down
 Tae wet the winding sheet
 Tae wet the winding sheet"
 So she has made a bed full braid
 And she's made it lang and deep
 She's laid it all wi golden thread
 And she's lulled those boys tae sleep
 But the cock he hadna crowed but once
 Tae welcome in the day
 When the eldest tae the youngest says
 "Brother we must away"
 "For the cock does craw, the day does daw
 And the chunnerin worm does chide
 And if we're missed out o' oor place
 Then a sair pain we maun bide"
 "For the green, green grass is at oor heads
 And the clay is at oor feet
 And how your tears come tumbling down
 Tae wet the winding sheet
 Tae wet the winding sheet"
 She said "I wish the wind may never blaw
 Nor fish swim in the flood
 Till my three sons return to me
 In earthly flesh and blood
 In earthly flesh and blood"