Riddles Wisely Expounded

Canadian folk musician Jesse Ferguson performs traditional English ballad "Riddles Wisely Expounded" (Child Ballad 1, Roud 161). Chords and lyrics below.
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Riddles Wisely Expounded
(traditional, arrang. J. Ferguson, 2020)
Capo @ 4
V1.
D G D
There were three sisters in the north.
D G D
Lay the bend to the bonny broom.
Bm A
And they lived in their mother's house.
D G
And you'll beguile a lady soon.
V2.
There came a man one evening late, etc.
He came knocking at the gate, etc.
V3.
The eldest sister let him in, etc.
And locked the door with a silver pin, etc.
V4.
The second sister made his bed, etc.
And laid soft pillows 'neath his head, etc.
V5.
The youngest sister, fair and bright, etc.
She lay beside him all through the night, etc.
V6.
And in the morning, come the day, etc.
She said, "Young man, will you marry me?", etc.
V7.
He said, "Yes, I'll marry thee, etc.
If you can answer this to me,” etc.
V8.
"What is greener than the grass?, etc.
And what is smoother than the glass?", etc.
V9.
"What is louder than a horn?, etc.
And what is sharper than a thorn?", etc.
V10.
"What is deeper than the sea?, etc.
And what is longer than the way?", etc.
V11.
"Envy's greener than the grass, etc.
Flattery's smoother than the glass,” etc.
V12.
"Rumor's louder than a horn, etc.
Slander's sharper than a thorn,” etc.
V13.
"Regret is deeper than the sea, etc.
But love is longer than the way,” etc.
V14.
The eldest sister rang the bell, etc.
She rang it from the highest hill, etc.
V15.
The second sister made the gown, etc.
She sewed it of the silk so fine, etc.
V16.
The youngest sister, true and wise, etc.
They've made of her a lovely bride, etc.
V17.
And now fair maids, I bid adieu, etc.
These parting words I'll leave with you, etc.
V18.
May you always constant prove, etc.
Unto the one that you do love, etc.

[@ReallyJillRogoff]

Another excellent rendition of a less-commonly-sung ballad. Thank-you, Jesse.

[@gingerseery9093]

What a voice!

[@thomasgoodwill598]

This is just so well done.

[@gabridelux453]

Beautiful job Jesse

[@infinitelighthouse]

i loved it

[@raymondcrooke]

I enjoyed this, Jesse.

[@BardofCornwall]

Thanks, Raymond. Always nice to hear from a fellow Child-ish balladeer.

[@agricolaterrae]

It's nice hearing a light-hearted version of this tune. I had a tape of Hanita Blair singing a variant of this one as a kid, which ended with the riddles exposing the knight as the devil, who then flew out the window. It seemed to be a cautionary tale.

[@PrincessNinja007]

Thank you that's the one that was stuck in my head

[@hobinmusic]

I enjoyed this very much. Well sung and well played. I have been looking for a version of the chords that go with this version, but I have not found anything out there. Can you post the chords that you use?

[@kentishsteve]

Any possibility of a tutorial

[@xordinaryman8771]

Would you consider doing a tutorial on this song?

[@seanboyd2898]

Is "bend to the bonnie broom" a common in-between line for ballads? I only ever heard it in a version of "The Cruel Sister" I think performed by The Old Dogs.

[@stevenjohnson5126]

Trying to work the song out love the way you play it. What tuning are you in ?

[@BardofCornwall]

Hi Steven, I only play in standard. The song's mostly D, A, G chords.