As I went a -walkin'
and a -ramblin' one day
I met a fair couple a -makin' their way
And one was a lady,
and a fair one was she
And the other was a cowboy,
and a brave one was he
And the other was a cowboy,
and a brave one was he
Where are you going, my pretty fair maid?
Just down by the river,
just down by the shade
Just down by the river,
just down by the spring
See the wild rippling water,
hear the nightingale sing
See the wild rippling water,
hear the nightingale sing
They hadn't been there
but an hour or so
He'll out of his satchel roof fiddle and bow
He played a tune that
made the woods ring
She said hark, hark,
hear the nightingale sing
She said hark, hark,
hear the nightingale sing
She said, dear cowboy, will you marry me
Oh, no, my little maiden,
that never can be
I've a wife in Arizona
and a lady, is she
One wife on a cow ranch
is plenty for me
One wife on a cow ranch
is plenty for me
I'm going out to Mexico,
I'll stay about a year
I'll drink red wine, I'll drink lots of beer
If I ever return, it will be in the spring
The seawater's glidin' here,
nightingale sing
The seawater's glidin' here,
nightingale sing
Come all you young ladies
take a warning by me
Don't place your affection
in a cowboy so free
He'll go and leave you like mine did me
Leave you to rock, sing my old baby