Love Will Find Out the Way

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Lesley Nelson
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This song appears in William Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Time. He notes the song was still being sung in the summer of 1855. The tune was in Playford's Musick's Recreation on the Lyra Viol (1652). The ballad was so popular in 1661 that a play was named for the song.

The ballad appeared on numerous broadsides, among those a black-letter broadside printed by F. Coules. According to Chappell, F. Coules broadsides usually bear a date between 1620 and 1628. The name of the song on the Coules' broadside is Truth's Integrity; or a Curious Northern Ditty, called Love Will Find Out the Way: to a pleasant new tune. In the Roxburghe Collection it is titled Stephen and Cloris; or the coy Shepherd and the kind Shepherdess; to a new play-house tune, or Love Will Find Out the Way.

The words appear in several other volumes, including Percy's Reliques and D'Urfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719).

Over the mountains
And over the waves,
Under the fountains
And under the graves,
Under floods that are deepest,
Which Neptune obey
Over rocks which are the steepest,
Love will find out the way.

Where there is no place
For the glow-worm to lie,
Where there is no space
For receipt of a fly,
Where the gnat dares not venture,
Lest herself fast she lay,
But if Love comes, he will enter,
And will find out the way.

You may esteem him
A child for his might,
Or you may deem him
A coward from his flight.
But if she, whom Love doth honor,
Be concealed from the day
Set a thousand guards upon her,
Love will find out the way.

Some think to lose him
By having him confined
Some do suppose him,
Poor thing, to be blind;
But if ne'er so close ye wall him,
Do the best that you may,
Blind Love, if so ye call him,
Will find out his way.

You may train the eagle
To stoop to your fist.
You may train in veigle
The Phoenix of the east.
The lioness, you may move her
To give o'er her prey;
But you'll ne'er stop a lover;
He will find out his way.
Related Links
From One Hundred Songs of England and
Popular Music of the Olden Time
See Bibliography for full information.