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Tom O'Neil 
Tom O'Neil 
There was a widow lived in this place Who had three darling sons Their father died and left them When they were very young. A long time she endeavoured To maintain her darling sons, Her youngest one became a man At the age of twenty-one. 
He discoursed with his mother one night And unto her did say, "I think it will fall to one of our lots For to go far away; Our land is too small to support us all And if you will agree, I am fully bent and well content A clergyman to be." 
His mother being glad to hear Such thoughts come in his mind, Says she, "I will do all I can To help my darling child; She discoursed with his brothers, And they did soon agree, And sent him off to college A clergyman to be. 
He was not long in college When the Reverend Bishop Brown Came a-viewing those collegians, He viewed them all around. He espied this clever young man, Marked him above them all, He was the first he did discourse , And on him he did call. 
He says, "Young man, where are you from? Come, tell to me your name." "I am from the county of Armagh, They call me Tom O'Neil. My mother she's a widow 
And of a low degree, She has done her best endeavours To make a priest of me." 
Since Tom O'Neil it is your name," The bishop he did say, "Go study hard both night and day, I'll soon have you ordained. To help your tender mother Who done so well for thee, I'll send you home a credit Your country boys to see" 
When this young man came home ordained The neighbours were glad to see, And all that came to welcome him They came by twos and three, Especially his own dear friends To welcome him did run, And you never saw such a welcome As there was for the widow's son. 
There was a man lived in that place Was as rich as a duke or knight, He had one only daughter, She was a beauty bright. She says unto her father, "This young man I'll go see, Before he went to college He was a schoolboy along with me." 
She was brought unto a parlour Where she drank ale and wine, She says, "You are a clever young man, I would have you resign. What made you be a clergyman? You know you are astray, A clergyman must ride by night And travel hard by day. 
"Come, take some noble lady Whose fortune it is grand, You may have men to wait on you And be a gentleman. Come take myself just as I stand, You know my fortune's great, I have 10,000 pounds a year, At death the whole estate." 
He says, "My honoured lady, Do not explain your mind, If you were to offer ten times more I would not resign; For in this holy station I mean to lead my life, So say no more, my dearest child, I'll never take a wife." 
When he did deny her This villain she went home, And into eight weeks after The secret she made known. She swore before the magistrate That he had her beguiled, And for eight long weeks before she came By him she proved with child. 
The morning of this trial Would grieve your heart full sore, To see his tender mother Would grieve you ten times more, To see her son a clergyman His age about twenty-three, To be cut down all in his prime By cruel perjury. 
"Now, Tom, what is the reason You don't marry this fair! I think she is a companion For a duke I do declare. And what are you but a widow's son, A man both poor and mean! You ought to think it a great honour Such a lady to obtain. 
Then Father Tom stood up and said, "I have no witness here, I'll call on the Almighty And He will set me clear. I never said I'd marry her Or yet make her my wife, For I never knew a female From a male all in my life." 
"Now, Tom, since you won't marry her I'll give you to understand Seven long years transportation Unto a foreign land." 
"O that is bad, but it might be worse," Father Tom did say, "Our Saviour suffered worse than that When He died on Calvary." 
Those words were hardly spoken When a horse came as swift as wind, And on him came a rider Saying, "I was not here in time; I call that trial o'er again, I'm here and can reply, She wants two fathers for her child, That is Father Tom and I. 
"I can tell to the very moment Likewise to the very spot, A thousand pounds she gave me The night the child was got, And a thousand more she offered me Never to let on, She thought to make a husband Of Right Reverend Father Tom." 
Then Father Tom put on his hat And he began to smile, He says unto his mother, "You see God assists your child." They looked at one another And they found it perjury, The villain was found guilty And the Right Reverend came home free. 
DT #534 Laws Q25 From Creighton, Songs and Ballads of Nova Scotia, no. 87 Collected from Ben Henneberry of Devil's Island, NS SOF oct96