185

Banks of the Pleasant Ohio.

Come all ye likely lads that has a mind for to range,
Into some foreign country your situation to change,
In seeking some new pleasures we will all together go,
And we'll settle on the banks of the pleasant Ohio.

186

All ye girls of New England, who are unmarried yet,
Come along with us and rewarded you shall get;
For there's all kind of game, beside the buck and the doe,
And we'll range through the wild woods and hunt the buffalo.

The fish in this river are good for our use,
Besides there's lofty sugar trees that yield us their juice,
There's all kinds of grain in Kentucky doth grow,
And we'll drain the rich men's gold from the New Mexico.

To sit down to your wheel, girls, it will do you no harm —
To spin yourselves some clothing to keep yourselves warm;
If you will card and spin, girls, we will plough, reap, and sow,
When we settle on the banks of the pleasant Ohio.

187

If by chance the wild Indians should happen to come near,
We'll all unite together with heart and with cheer,
We'll march through the town, boys, and strike a deadly blow,
And we'll drive them from the banks of the pleasant Ohio.

It is now to conclude, without giving offence,
Each one has a right to choose his own residence,
But I will choose my residence where milk and honey flow,
And we'll settle on the banks of the pleasant Ohio.