"Farewell, My Lilly Dear" (1851)
by Stephen Collins Foster, 1826-1864

1.
Oh! Lilly dear, it grieves me,
  The tale I have to tell;
Old massa sends me roaming,
  So Lilly, fare-you-well!
Oh! fare-you-well, my true love,
  Farewell, old Tennesse.
Then let me weep for you, love,
  But do not weep for me.

CHORUS
Farewell forever, to old Tennessee;
Farewell, my Lilly dear,
Don't weep for me.

2.
I's guine to roam the wide world
  In lands I've never hoed,
With nothing but my banjo
  To cheer me on the road;
For when I'm sad and weary
  I'll make the banjo play,
To mind me of my true love,
  When I am far away.

(CHORUS)

3.
I wake up in the morning,
  And walk out on the farm:
Oh! Lilly am a darling,
  She take me by the arm.
We wander through the clover
  Down by the river side,
I tell her that I love her
  And she must be my bride.

(CHORUS)

4.
Oh! Lilly dear, 'tis mournful
  To leave you here alone,
You'll smile before I leave you,
  And weep when I am gone.
The sun can never shine, love,
  So bright for you and me,
As when I worked beside you
  In good old Tennessee.

(CHORUS)