[Verse 1] Oh a fair young lady I Used to see when walking buy Caught my love by happenstance Now I rarely catch a glance I wish that I had known her all the while [Verse 2] Well I got my courage up On an empty coffee cup Went a callin' at her door She let me in at my implore Well I listened as she told me of the year When far away she lost her love so dear [Verse 3] She said my sweetheart in Tennessee
Built a banjo just for me Made of wood as red as clay But it hurts my heart to play And he's gone to find his fortune in the hills [Verse 4] And I said this continents too wide For you to spend your life inside Your much too beautiful you know To have no other place to go But she turned her back to me and walked away Well I never cared for banjo anyway