In Norway land, there lived a maid and hushed, slowly [?] she did sing
"O little know I my babe's father, or the land that he dwells in"
O it happened upon a Saturday, this maid fell fast asleep
And in there came a grey selkie, and sat at her bed feet
"Awake, awake, my pretty fair maid. How soundly you do sleep
For am I, thy babe's father, who sits at your bed feet
"For I am a man upon the land, and a selkie in the sea
And when I am far and far from land, my home's in Sule Skerry"
"But my dear, I'll wed thee with a ring. With a ring I shall wed thee"
"O you may wed with whom you will, I'm sure you'll not wed me"
So she has nursed her little young son and sat him upon her knee
And at the end of seven long years, he's returned with a nursing fee
And he has taken a purse of gold and placed in upon her knee
"O give to me my little young son, I'll teach him to swim in the sea
"And I'll put a chain around his neck, and a gold chain it will be
And if he ever comes to Norway land, you'll know which seal he'll be
"And you shall marry a gunner good, and a right fine gunner he'll be
And he'll go out one May morning and shoot our son and me"
So she has married a gunner good, and a right fine gunner was he
And he went out one May morning, and he shot two seals from the sea
The son and the grey selkie
"Alas, o alas. This woeful fate this world has laid on me"
And as she sighed, and as she sat, her heart did break in three