I'm no better than I should be.
So say the village wives.
My mother was just like me,
When she was still alive.
I'll grant a man my favors,
For a token or a prize.
But it's the men who tell their women lies.
It's the men, not me, who should apologize.
The man my mother married,
Taught me all there was to know.
I was only five or six,
When we first played hide or show.
When I was twelve, what mother knew
She no longer could ignore.
But she loved the man she married,
So 'twas I was out the door.
It's the dirty family secret,
That everybody knows.
It was shouted from the porch
When mum and I came near to blows.
So I work as cook and barmaid,
Down at the village inn.
Where my reputation marked me
As easy to win.
If a man should have a liking for sin.
The army that's invaded
Might be cold barbarian.
But no matter where it comes from,
It's an army full of men.
And it's better I should catch their eyes,
Than to let those cold eyes roam.
To the pretty little daughters,
Of the folk of Errold's Grove.
I'm no better than I should be,
Or so I've heard them say.
But I've earned the gold I'm wearing,
And I'm leaving here today.
In a place where I can start out fresh,
My new life will begin.
Where I'll be known for the delicious food,
Served at Lilly's Inn.
And I'll never be the prize a man can win,
Not again,
No, I'll never be the prize a man can win.
So say the village wives.
My mother was just like me,
When she was still alive.
I'll grant a man my favors,
For a token or a prize.
But it's the men who tell their women lies.
It's the men, not me, who should apologize.
The man my mother married,
Taught me all there was to know.
I was only five or six,
When we first played hide or show.
When I was twelve, what mother knew
She no longer could ignore.
But she loved the man she married,
So 'twas I was out the door.
It's the dirty family secret,
That everybody knows.
It was shouted from the porch
When mum and I came near to blows.
So I work as cook and barmaid,
Down at the village inn.
Where my reputation marked me
As easy to win.
If a man should have a liking for sin.
The army that's invaded
Might be cold barbarian.
But no matter where it comes from,
It's an army full of men.
And it's better I should catch their eyes,
Than to let those cold eyes roam.
To the pretty little daughters,
Of the folk of Errold's Grove.
I'm no better than I should be,
Or so I've heard them say.
But I've earned the gold I'm wearing,
And I'm leaving here today.
In a place where I can start out fresh,
My new life will begin.
Where I'll be known for the delicious food,
Served at Lilly's Inn.
And I'll never be the prize a man can win,
Not again,
No, I'll never be the prize a man can win.