Digital Tradition Mirror

Banks of the Gaspereaux (2)

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Banks of the Gaspereaux (2)

Come all you jolly lumbermen,
  I mean to let you know
The Yankee boys will come no more
  to drive the Gaspereaux;
You told them all the lies you could;
  you were their bitter foe;
Bad luck attend those wild bushmen
  that drove the Gaspereaux.

You tried to scare those lumbermen
  and fill their hearts with fear;
You told them that their logs would not
  come down the first year;
But he spoke so bravely to his men,
  saying, "We'll let those bushmen knoff
And it was but three weeks after,
  that they drove the Gaspereaux.

One of those natives there had a daughter,
  and she was lovely too;
And she was much admired
  by one of his Yankee crew;
She always wore a purple dress,
  [a] red apron aiso
They called her Robin Redbreast
  on the banks of the Gaspereaux.

The day as I was walking,
  she took me by surprise,
To see such a beautiful creature
  appear before my eyes;
I thought that I would watch her,
  to see which way she'd go;
She fell into my arms
  on the banks of the Gaspereaux.

"Rise up, rise up, my pretty fair maid,
  and come aiong with me,
And I will show you a short cut
  across the country;
I'll dress you up in silks so fine,
  and to the States we'll go;
We'll bid adieu to these dismal scenes
  wc leave on the Gaspereaux."

"O, no, O, no," this fair maid says,
  "this thing it ne'er can be;
My sister would lament for me,
  my papa he would grieve;
But go and ask my papa,
  and to the Church we'll go;
I'll be your kind companion
  on the banks of the Gaspereaux."

Then straightway to the old man,
  the young one he did stray;
"I wish to wed your daughter
  your answer, sir, I pray."
"O, yes, O, yes," the old man says,
  "but from me she'll not go,
"She'll be your kind companion
  on the banks of the Gaspereaux."

"O, no. O, no," the young man says,
  "this place I cannot bear;
Rut we'll go down to the State of Maine,
  and we'll live happy there.
"O, no, O, no." the old man says,
  "but from me she'll not go;
She'll be your kind companion
  on the banks of the Gaspereaux."

O now this couple are parted,
  never to meet again,
Onc on the Gaspereaux,
  and the other in the State of Maine.
We'il drink a health to Robin,
  the Stars and Stripes aiso;
We'!l bid adieu to the dismal scenes
  we leave on the Gaspereaux.

From Folk Songs of Maine, Barry
DT #576
Laws C26
RG
oct96

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!