"I'm Off for Charleston" (1850)
Words & Music,
Composed & Dedicated
to Charles White, Esq.
by William Donaldson.

New York: Firth, Pond & Co., No. 1 Franklin Square
Plate No. 879
[Source: 652020@LoC]

1.
My massa an my Missus, dey both am gone away,
  Dey gone to de sulpher springs de summer months to stay,
And while dey's off togeder on dis little kind ob spree,
  I'll go down to Charleston de pretty gals to dee.

CHORUS [sung after each verse]
I'm off for Charleston early in de morning,
  I'm off for Charleston a little while to stay,
Give my respects to ev'ry pretty yaller gal,
  I'm off for Charelston before de broke ob day.

2.
My Nelly waved her hankerchief when she seed me go,
  Floating down de riber wid de old banjo,
As I stood and gazed upon her I wiped away a tear,
  An de last word I sed to her was far you well my dear.

3.
It begin to rain a little de night was very dark,
  An when my Nelly said good bye de dogs begin to bark,
De dog he scart de buzzard, de buzzard scart de coon,
  Dey all made a nigger run till next day noon.

4.
De coon begin to tire, de dog he tire too,
  De nigger he got tireder an he didnt know what to do,
De buzzards kept flying till de chickens gin to crow,
  Den he come down to hear me play de old banjo.

5.
Charleston is a pretty place de gals dey kiss so sweet,
  Dey am so slender bout de waist and dress so berry neat,
But Id rudder kiss my Nell, dan all de gals I eber see,
  Kase her breff is like an orange blossom hanging on a tree.