"Darling Bessie of the Lea" (1868)
by Henry Tucker

1.
Oh I wander in the roses in the golden summer time,
And listen to the streamlet while it sings a merry chime,
But far sweeter than the roses on the streamlet unto me,
The sunbright face of Bessie, Darling Bessie of the Lea.

CHORUS
Oh she is the sweetest flower ever sent to comfort me,
Pure and gentle as an angel Darling Bessie of the Lea,
Yes she is the sweetest flower ever sent to comfort me--
I love that little fairy Darling Bessie of the Lea.

2.
Not a bird in all the wildwood but will answer to her call,
Oh most I love the twilight when the pearly dewdrops fall,
Then she meets me in the valley and she kindly welcomes me,
My honey star of evening, Darling Bessie of the Lea.

(CHORUS)

3.
Oh the bonny bee may linger where the buds and blossoms grow,
The gentle breeze of summer in its fragrance come and go--
But they all will pass unheeded for wherever she may be--
My heart is full of Bessie, Darling Bessie of the Lea.

(CHORUS)