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When I first courted sweet lovely Nancy,
And she could dress in silk so fine;
I had for her so great a fancy,
As ever I had for a woman kind.
One day I went to see lovely Nancy,
I carried with me a wedding ring,
Constantly she did deny me,
What could I think of such a meaner thing?
So straight I'll go unto her old mother,
Thinking that she'll stand by her friend,
Seven long weeks on bread and cold water,
This cruel woman confounded me.
And now she's married to a boasty captain,
The smartest man is he in our town,
Constantly that he did regard her,
The love they carried will soon cut down.
One day I met her in the fields a-walking,
She bowed her head as she passed me by,
Once ye were my falsehearted keeper,
And now I see it's the other way.
Come all young girls I pray take a warnng,
Don't ever throw your first love away,
For there's many a dark and cloudy morning,
Brings forth a pleasant sunshiny day.
Collected in 1959 from Mrs. Wallace Kinslow of Isle aux Morts, NL, by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 2, p.477, by The National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved. A longer variant was also recorded as Lovely Nancy by Tommy Nemec (Songs From The Cape, 2003).
