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Fare you well, lovely Molly, I am going to leave you,
And to the East Indies my course I will steer;
Don't let my long absence be a bother to you, dear,
For we will be married, you need never fear.
Like some jolly little seaman I'll dress and go with you,
And in the midst of all danger I'll stand as your friend;
Those cold wintry winds, love, around you be blowing,
And I will be there for to wait on you then.
Those pretty little hands, love, could not stand a rough tackling,
Those pretty little feet to the top could not go;
Those cold wintry winds you could not endure them,
So stay at home, darling, to the seas do not go.
Those two lovers parted, they had kissed plenty,
The tears from her eyes down in fountains did pour;
Her lily-white hands on the deck she kept wringing,
Saying, "Fare you well, darling, I'll never see you more."
As I was walking the streets of Philadelphia,
Stange thoughts of my darling came into my mind;
I thought on the days, love, that we spent in courting,
But the salt seas have parted us now for a time.
Don't let my long absence be a bother to you, dear,
Don't let my long journey cause you any pain;
Although we are parted I will be true hearted,
And I will return in the springtime again.
A similar variant was collected in 1951 from John Molloy of St. Shott's, NL, and published as Jimmy And Nancy in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA). A similar variant was also collected in 1951 from Frank Knox of St. Shott's, NL, and published as Molly And Johnny in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).
