> Lal Waterson > Songs > Child Among the Weeds

Child Among the Weeds

[Lal Waterson, Chris Collins]

Lal Waterson and Bob Davenport sang Child Among the Weeds, with Richard Thompson and Martin Carthy, acoustic guitars, in 1972 on Lal & Mike Waterson’s album Bright Phoebus. A 1971 demo sung by Lal and Mike with just guitar accompaniment was included in 2017 on the album’s reissue’s bonus CD.

Cover Versions

  1. The Eliza Carthy Band (Eliza Carthy, vocals and fiddles; Lucy Adams, backing vocals; Martin Green, piano accordion and piano; Barnaby Stradling, bass guitar and piano; Sam Thomas, drums) on the tribute album Shining Bright: The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson.
    This track was also included in 2003 on Eliza Carthy’s anthology The Definitive Collection.
  2. Tinkerscuss on their album Mythago (2007)
  3. Lady Maisery on their album Tender (2022)

Lyrics

Lal Waterson and Bob Davenport sing Child Among the Weeds

Child among the weeds, don’t need no beads.
Just sing him a lullaby, lullaby all the long night through.

An old man in a rocking chair, will need you there.
You have to sing him a lullaby, lullaby, all the warm day too.

But a young man in and among your sheets will leave a seed and weep.
So sing him a lullaby, lullaby, warm day, cold night too.

Fly bird fly on your raven wing.
Take to the sky and sing for the love of wheeling and turning.

The day has only just begun the silver sun is shining.
Wake up, wake up everyone the day is only dazzling.

Fly bird fly on your raven wing.
Take to the sky and sing for the love of wheeling and turning.

Child among the weeds, don’t need no beads.
Just sing him a lullaby, lullaby,
Sing for the love of weeping and burning,
And sing for the love of wheeling and turning.