We Shepherds are the Best of Men

We Shepherds are the Best of Men

Roud 284

As sung by Fred Jordan, Aston Munslow, Shropshire:

1. We shepherds are the best of men
   That e’er trod English ground
   And when we reach an alehouse
   We value not a pound
   
   We drinks our liquor freely
   And pays before we go
   For there’s no ale on the wold
   Where the stormy winds do blow
   
   
2. A man that is a shepherd
   Must have a valiant heart
   He must not be faint-hearted
   But boldly play his part
   
   He must not be faint-hearted
   Be it hail or rain or snow
   With no ale on the wold
   Where the stormy winds do blow.
   
   
3. When I kept sheep on Blockley Hill
   It made my heart to weep
   To see the ewes hang out their tongues
   And hear the lambs to bleat
   
   So I plucked up my courage
   And o’er the hills did go
   To pen my sheep in the fold
   While the stormy winds did blow.
   
   
4. When I had safely penned my sheep
   I turned my back in haste
   And yo a jovial company,
   Good liquor for to take
   
   For drink and jovial company
   Oh they are my hearts delight
   Whilst my sheep safely sleep
   All the fore-part of the night.