Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1585) was organist of the Royal Chapels under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth, which indicates his consistent royal favor despite the chaos created by the creation of the Anglican Church during the reign of Henry VIII and the subsequent persecution of Catholics. In comparison with his considerable body of splendid music for the church, Tallis’ secular works are few and not well-known. This song, which is similar in style and form to the French chanson, might have been originally written for solo voice and viols; the unusually low pitch of the bass line suggests that it could have been at first a consort song. Although the text by the ardently Protestant poet and dramatist William Hunnis (d. 1597) is ostensibly secular, apparently lamenting a misspent youth and misplaced love, there is a strong undercurrent of Christian imagery.