I met with my Death down in the cellar
Down in the cellar so cold.
And he spoke; »My dear, here, take this kindling,
Farewell, your bell’ll soon be tolled.
And I took the kindling:
My lifetime is dwindling
But tonight, I will sleep warm, for sure.
For if you don’t fear him
then he will not fear you:
Death holds you dear if you’re poor
I met with my Death out in my garden,
out in my garden so bare.
And he spoke: »My heart, here take this shilling,
farewell, you’ll soon pay your fare.«
And I took the shilling:
When it comes to billing
My life counts as interest ten-fold.
For if you don’t fear him
then he will not fear you:
Death holds you dear if you’re old.
I met with my Death within my chamber,
within my chamber so plain.
And he spoke: »My love, here take this light,
farewell, your life soon I’ll drain.«
And I took the light
and gone was my plight
I felt like my heart’s drank its fill
For if you don’t fear him
then he will not fear you:
Death holds you dear if you’re ill.
I met with my Death deep down in my heart,
deep down in my heart all alone.
And he spoke: »My child, here, take my hand
You’re dying so you’ll be my own«
And I took his hand
And I met with my end
Full of love, full of comfort and trust:
For if you don’t fear him
then he will not fear you:
Death holds you dear until dust.
The German version of this song is »Mein Tod«
The song with chords as a PDF
The song in Chordpro format
Lyrics © 2025 and tune © 2005 by Thesilée