Discover the story of the song > Tam Lin – Fairport Convention

The song tells the story of a maiden, Janet, who goes to visit Tam Lin in the forest even though it's forbidden. Tam Lin informs her that he has been captured by the Faerie Queen and must pay a tithe to Hell. He tells her how to save him from being turned into different creatures by the faeries, and she successfully rescues him. Janet's father accuses her of being pregnant, but she tells him that she alone will bear the blame and refuses to reveal the father's identity.