Well, as we were out hunting One morning in the spring Both hounds and horses running Well, made the hills and the valleys ring But to our great misfortune No fox there could be found And our huntsman cursed and swore But still no fox moved over the ground Then spoke our master huntsman Oh, I will have my chase And if only the devil himself come by We'd run in such a race Then up there sprung like lightning A fox from out of his hole And his fur was the color of a starless night And his eyes like burning coal And they chased him over the valley And they chased him over the field And they chased him down to the river bank But never would he yield And he jumped into the water And he swam to the other side And he laughed so loud that the rain would shook And he turned to the huntsman and he cried And the man looked up in wonder And the hounds ran back to hide For the fox had changed to the devil himself And the men, the hounds, the horses Went flying back to town And hard on their heels came a little black fox Laughing as he ran Right on my gallant huntsman When must I come again Oh, never shall you want for a fox To chase all over the plain