This lovely, gentle song with its simple strumming accompaniment has a timeless effect; the

melody could have been written in almost any period from the medieval to the present, and

could easily stand alone or be a song from a masque or serenade from an opera. The setting,

a lover singing to the beloved at night, and the "guilt trip" lyrics, too, could have come from

any period, though of course the exact words have an Elizabethan flavor to them.

In the three verses, the singer asks to be allowed in, in the second, he asks if he must die

without his love being fulfilled, and in the third, he asks only that she "not mock me in thy

bed, while these cold nights freeze me dead." The charming, lilting melody is beautifully matched

to the rhythms of the lyrics, and the entire effect is captivating.

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