The Roses of Eyam

The earth beneath the surface dust
Is cold and damp and raw
And, holding but the memories
Of what has gone before
Can almost be forgiven
For remembering the dream
Of the wall of stones around the homes
Of the villagers of Eyam
Of the villagers of Eyam

In August sixteen-sixty-five
Along the cobbled roads
Between the houses dark and high
The carriers with their loads
Were leaving for the northern towns
The capital and crown
And also leaving far behind
The plague of London town
The plague of London town

George Vicars was the tailor
To the village life of Eyam
And to his house a case of clothes
From London town was seen
To be delivered one fine day
In September 'sixty-five
And never more was tailor Vicars
Ever seen alive
Ever seen alive

The scars upon his face and chest
Were many to behold
And, lying by the fevered body
Now so very cold
The case from London opened wide
The clothes all neatly hung
And from the bell upon the church
The knell of death was rung
The knell of death was rung

There followed sixty, scarred and bleeding
Buried in their graves
As Thomas Stanley stood above
And told them "Jesus Saves"
But Stanley was a puritan
An enemy to heed
To Mompesson (the Anglican
Who held the rectors creed
Who held the rectors creed)

The differences between the men
That were so very wide
Were shattered by the desperate need
And rudely cast aside
The forces of the two were joined
Their words were not in vain
They told the villagers of Eyam
"The plague must be contained
The plague must be contained"

The simple people took their word
Agreed to stay and die
They built a wall around the hamlet
Not so very high
But high enough that they should know
That though it mean their lives
The plague must stay behind the wall
With children, friends and wives
With children, friends and wives

For six long months the wall did stand
And honest to their word
The families died. The Friths and Sydalls
Never more were heard
The Thornleys, Hancocks, and the Torres
All buried in the ground
The Coopers and the Vicars
Never made another sound
Never made another sound

The dawn that rang the final bell
Left thirty-three alive
From three-hundred-and-fifty
In September 'sixty-five
The villagers rebuilt their lives
With those who still remained
The name of Eyam can still be seen;
The plague had been contained
The plague had been contained
The plague had been contained
The plague had been contained...