"The Old Yankee Lady" (1846)
sung at all the principal concerts by
H. Swift.
Words by S. S. Jacobs
Dedicated to Miss Isabel Calvson of Halifax.

Boston: G. P. REED, 19 Tremont [Lane?]
[Source: 050/072@Levy]

1. 
I’ll sing you a good old song, 
’Tis now so much the rage, 
Of a good old yankee lady 
Who had lived to a good old age, 
And who had no servants in her house, 
Such things were then unknown 
But help she had in plenty, 
And she help’d them ev’ry one. 
This good old Yankee Lady 
One of the olden time.

2. 
This Yankee lady’s best front room
was always very trim,  
A round the walls the chairs were placed
and looked [?-?] prim. 
The tongs and shovel never dared 
their standing roles to vary, 
And no one meddled with her books 
for rather literary, 
This good old yankee lady 
One of the olden time.

3. 
Beneath the parlor table stood 
up right the best tea trays, 
And the best china never used 
ex  cept on sabbath days, 
Or when the minister came in, 
to make his pastoral call, 
Was in the little cupboard, 
Made in the parlor wall, 
By this good old yankee lady 
One of the olden time.

4. 
Her husband was a general 
or some such noble thing, 
And a yankee general you know, 
looks down upon a king. 
Her brother was a major, 
her eldest son a cap’n. 
Deem not these glorious dignities, 
at all to much to happen 
To this good old yankee lady 
One of the olden time.

5. 
She liked to go to different shops, 
the fashions new to see, 
She liked to ask her friends to  come, 
And take with her their tea 
Then sitting o’er the social [esps], 
she told to make them wonder, 
How such a thing was worth so much, 
and bought for us much under 
By this good old yankee lady 
One of the olden time.

6. 
And if the company 
said nothing very wise, 
At least they   ate her breakfast cakes, 
And excellent [??] pies 
For she was a good manager, 
and always ruled the [?]. 
I’m speaking lit’rally you know 
and do not mean to boast. 
This good old yankee lady 
One of the olden time.

7. 
Like other men the general 
was fond of ample living, 
And still this yankee lady 
kept the best until thanksgiving. 
Then sons and daughters came to eat, 
the pumkin pies & cake, 
Turkeys and doughnuts are prepared, 
and all a welcome take 
From this good old yankee lady 
One of the old en time.

8. 
This yankee lady very neat, 
in calico was dressed, 
But a black satin or a french
[merino?] was her best 
She very early went to bed 
and very early rose, 
She knew a hundred tunes or more 
and sang them thro’ her nose 
Like a good old yankee lady 
One of the olden time.

9. 
When she could live no longer, 
this yankee lady died, 
She lay below the tombstone 
on which her husband lied, 
For he said he was disconsolate 
and should be all his life, 
But ere the second year [not,] 
he took a second wife, 
Another yankee lady 
All of the olden time.