Little Mary Bell had a fairy in a nut Long John Brown had the devil in his gut Long John Brown loved little Mary Bell And the fairy drew the devil into the nutshell Her fairy skipped out and her fairy skipped in He laughed at the devil saying: 'Love is a sin' Devil raged, and devil he was wroth And the devil entered into the young man's broth He was soon in the gut of the loving young swain For John ate and drank to drive away love's pain But all he could do he grew thinner and thinner
Though he ate and drank as ten men for dinner Some said he had wolf in his stomach day and night Some said he had the devil, and they guessed right The fairy skipped about in his glory, joy and pride And he laughed at the devil till poor John Brown died Then the fairy skipped out of the old nutshell And woe and alack for pretty Mary Bell For the devil crept in when the fairy skipped out And there goes Miss Bell with her fusty old nut