The Maid Freed from the Gallows
The Maid Freed From the Gallows or The Prickly Bush is Child ballad number 95.
Synopsis
A maid about to hanged (no crime given) pleads with the hangman, or judge, to wait a minute longer, someone is coming who could bribe him. The first person, or people, who may include the father, mother, brother, and sister, all have brought nothing and often have come to see her hanged. The last person, often her true love, has brought the gold to save her. She may curse all those who failed her.
The prickly bush of the title is her refrain that the briers prickle her heart.
Versions
In some variants, a man is saved by his true love. In others, the hangman takes the bribe and executes anyway.
Led Zeppelin did a version, "Gallows Pole".