"Nelly Bly" (1850)
by Stephen Collins Foster, 1826-1864

1.
Nelly Bly! Nelly Bly!
  Bring de broom along,
We'll sweep de kitchen clean, my dear,
  And hab a little song.
Poke de wood, my lady lub,
  And make de fire burn,
And while I take de banjo down,
  Just gib de mush a turn.

CHORUS
Heigh! Nelly, Ho! Nelly, listen lub, to me,
I'll sing for you, play for you, a dulcem melody.
Heigh! Nelly, Ho! Nelly, listen lub, to me,
I'll sing for you, play for you, a dulcem melody.

2.
Nelly Bly hab a voice
  Like de turtle dove,
I hears it in de meadow,
  And I hears it in de grove:
Nelly Bly hab a heart
  Warm as cup ob tea,
And bigger dan de sweet potatoe
  Down in Tennessee.

(CHORUS)

3.
Nelly Bly shuts her eye
  When she goes to sleep,
When she wakens up again
  Her eye-balls 'gin to peep:
De way she walks, she lifts her foot,
  And den she brings it down,
And when it lights der's music dah
  In dat part ob de town.

(CHORUS)

4.
Nelly Bly! Nelly Bly!
  Neber, nebber sigh,
Nebber bring de tear-drop
  To de corner ob your eye,
For de pie is made ob punkins
  And de mush is made of corn,
And der's corn and punkins plenty, lub,
  A lyin' in de barn.

(CHORUS)

[Source: pages 93-34 of "Biography, Songs and Musical Compositions
of Stephen C. Foster" by Morrison Foster, (Pittsburg: 1896;
AMS Press, New York: 1977)]