My Old Brown Coat And Me (Dick Nolan)

Oh, the moon was out, the stars were bright,
The larks were singin' free;
Come listen while I sing about,
My old brown coat and me.

I lived upon my father's farm,
Till I was twenty-one;
I took a farm then of my own,
And a man's life begun.

I fell in love with Mary Bray,
Her father owned a store;
There never was a girl beloved,
So tenderly before.

But Mary Bray was very proud,
And haughty as could be;
She 'oft times said that she'd not wed,
My old brown coat and me.

I did not stop to plead the case,
For pleading was in vain;
I bade adieu to Mary Bray,
Ne'er saw her face again.

There's forty summers o'er my head,
There's riches in my store;
My children play out on the green,
My wife stands in the door.

I've land enough, I've money enough,
I've houses tall and high;
There's not a squire in all this land,
Can wear such clothes as I.

Now, Mary Bray was very proud,
And haughty as could be;
She was wedded to a lawyer's son,
Who's name was Joe Talle.

He wore a coat of shiny black,
And looked so very grand;
That Mary fancied he would make,
A noble and true man.

Now, Mary's husband, he became,
A pirate on the sea;
She 'oft times said, she'd wished she'd wed,
My old brown coat and me.

Now, girls, when you are false accused,
The like that bends the knee;
Then count the fate of Mary Bray,
My old brown coat and me.

Remember that an old brown coat,
And not so very grand;
Can cover up as warm a heart,
As any in the land.

Recorded by Dick Nolan (Echoes Of The Atlantic / Dick Nolan And The Blue Valley Boys, trk#5, Maple Leaf, 1962).