oh I'm just a poor boy my fortune is sad I've always been courted by the wagoner's lad he's courted me nightly and never by day and now he is loading and going away oh your horses are hungry go and feed them some hay and sit down here by me as long as you may my horses ain't hungry they won't eat your hay so fair thee well darling I'll be on my way oh your wagon needs greasing your whip is to mend so sit down here by me as long as you can my wagon is greasy my whip's in my hand so fair thee well darling no longer to stand oh hard is the fortune of all of our kind we're always controlled we're always confined controlled by our people unless we take wife or a slave to the highway for the rest of our lives and he's a slave to highway for the rest of his life