Well, Johnny be fair and Johnny be fine and wants me for to wed

And I would marry Johnny, but my father up and said

I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew

But Johnny is a son of mine and so he's kin to you



Well, Jimmy be fair and Jimmy be fine and wants me for to wed

And I would marry Jimmy, but my father up and said

I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew

But Jimmy, too, is a son of mine and so he's kin to you



Well, Billy be fair and Billy be fine and wants me for to wed

And I would marry Billy, but my father up and said

I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew

But Billy, too, is a son of mine and so he's kin to you



You never seen a girl so sad and sorry as I was

The boys in town are all my kin and my father is the pa

If this continue I shall die a single miss

So I'll go to mother and complain to her of this



Oh daughter, haven't I taught you to forgive and to forget

Even if this all is true, still you needn't fret

Your father may be father to all the boys in town, still

He's not the one who sired you, so marry who you will