THE YELLOW ALE
As I was going the road one fine day,
O the brown and the yellow ale!
I met with a man that was no right man.
O love of my heart!
He asked was the woman with me my daughter
O the brown and the yellow ale!
And I said she was my married wife
O love of my heart!
He asked would I lend her for an hour and a day
O the brown and the yellow ale!
And I said I would do anything that was fair.
O love of my heart!
So let you take the upper road and I’ll take the lower
O the brown and the yellow ale!
And we’ll meet again at the ford in the river.
O love of my heart!
I was walking that way for one hour and three-quarters
O the brown and the yellow ale!
When she came to me without shame.
O love of my heart!
When I heard her news I lay down and I died
O the brown and the yellow ale!
And they sent two men to the wood for timber.
O love of my heart!
A board of holly and a board of alder
O the brown and the yellow ale!
And two great yards of sack about me.
O love of my heart!
And but that my own little mother was a woman
O the brown and the yellow ale!
I could tell you another pretty story about women.
O love of my heart!
SHE'LL BE COMIN' ROUND THE MOUNTAIN
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes.
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes.
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes.
We’ll all have chicken ’n dumplings when she comes
We’ll all have chicken ’n dumplings when she comes. . .
SPARKLING BROWN EYES
There’s a ramshackle shack
Down in ol’ Caroline
That’s calling me back
To that ol’ gal o’ mine.
Those two brown eyes
I long to see
For the girl of my dreams
She’ll always be.
Those two brown eyes
That sparkle with love
Sent down to me
From Heav’n above.
If I had the wings
Of a beautiful dove
I’d fly to the arms
Of the girl that I love.
OLD DAN TUCKER
Old Dan Tucker was a fine old man
He washed his face in the frying pan.
He combed his hair with a wagon wheel
And died of the toothache in his heel.
Git out of the way for old Dan Tucker
He’s too late to get his supper
Supper’s over and the dishes washed
Nothing left but a piece of squash.
TURKEY IN THE SNOW
There was a little hen
And she had a wooden foot,
Made her nest
In the mulberry root.
She laid more eggs
Than any hern on the farm,
Another wooden foot
Wouldn’t do her any harm.
Did you ever go fishin’
On a warm summer day
When all the fish
Were swimmin’ in the bay?
With their hands in their pockets
And their pockets in their pants
Did you ever see fishie
Do the Hootchy-Kootchy Dance?
Turkey in the straw
Turkey in the hay. . .
JOE HILL
I dreamed I got the rights to Joe Hill last night,
But then he invoiced me!
I said, ‘‘Whoa, Joe, this sure is a lot—’’
He said, ‘‘It’s called a Royalty…’’