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 the cure for a rampant fever
Your beauty's power, it plagues me now
I come and scour the land for the desert flower

For beauty and perfume
I'd 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 a 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 bird will nest with 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
A 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 around her neck like a red lead sinker
And blindfold and spin her 'round and 'round and 'round
To the banks of the river
And then walk my true love into the rushing 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 true love sing

No water is still in 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 true love

Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy
The veil that parted over my bride
And her breath as my true love dies
Tulip, tulip, with one what I did buy
The veil that parted over my bride
And the blue from her bluest eyes