Ada, my rarest bulb from the desert valley 
Your hair of fire and skin of snow 
Have caused me to the heights of the desert mountains 
In search of a cure for a rampant fever
Your beauty's power has plagued me now 
 [bad word] and scour the land for the desert flower 

For beauty and perfume 
I stake my house and my lands 
The gold is sleeping in the river but the flower's in my hand 
With a paler leaf and a broken petal I'll bait the king and queen 
And to the goldsmith with my flower I'll buy a wedding ring 

Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy 
Oxen, sheep and wheat and rye 
And land on the north seaside 
Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy 
The finest dresses man could buy and a pearl for to bait my bride 

Then with my rarest bulb to her father's garden 
And like gold for lamb or wool for clam 
I gave that man the bulb for his daughter Ada 
Your heart is mine and it's mine forever 
And she replied “My faith that lies on yon horizon's Tethered me to the sky” 
The match arranged and vows exchanged and the dove flew away 
The bells spilled out the hollow canyon on our wedding day 
To me she gave her hand until death do us part 
But the birds will nest with the one that she has promised her heart 

Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy 
The bed from which our sons will rise and the window where she cries 
Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy 
net to catch the birds that fly from the window where she cries 

He reaches out and I withdraw 
Spilling the flowering bribes from his paw 
The broken petals climbing the walls 
Stealing my oxygen, no air at all 
From the bed I hear him call 
But I answer cooing when the night falls 
The cotton sword is storming the hall 
Cutting my vision to no sight at all 

I tied the tulip round her neck like a red lead sinker 
And blindfold her and spin her round and round and round 
To the banks of the river 
And then walk my [bad word] love in to [bad word] water 
And by her long hair bleeding red hair 
Pull my love there under until she drown 

For beauty and perfume 
I'd stake my house and my land 
My love is sleeping in the river but the flower's in my hand 
With a paler leaf and a broken petal I'll keep her all to me 
And to the river with my flower I'll hear my [bad word] love sing 

No water is still my friend 
Ready to drown 
Water, water, oh water my kin 
Carry me out 
This iron river is mercy at last
Die as she laughs 
For he is waiting where the doves nest 
My [bad word] love Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy 
The veil that parted over my bride 
And the blue from her bluest eyes 

Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy 
The veil that parted over my bride and her breath as my [bad word] love dies