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My mother she's a widow, and I liked it where she lived,
Near the town of Sligo she kept her flour mills;
She reared me up most tenderly a surgeon for to be,
But little did she ever think transported I would be.
She sent me out one evening my friends for to go see,
I met with an honourable lady she fell in love with me;
Her fortune was ten thousand pounds in ready money down,
Besides estate was willed to her one side of Galway town.
The very next day as I came home this fair maid wrote to me,
Johnny, lovely Johnny, I am in love with thee;
If you will agree and come with me it's married we will be,
Our friends and parents won' t find it out, we will go to Amerikay.
I wrote her back an answer and this to her did say,
I says, honourable lady, I am no match for thee;
Some great lord or nobleman or a man with a high degree,
For if your parents would find out transported I would be.
She wrote me back an answer and this to me did say,
Oh, Johnny, lovely Johnny, I am deep in love with thee;
If you don't agree on marrying me my life I will destroy,
My ghostess will torment you until the day you die.
I got in dread of what she said with her I did agree,
With her I gave my whole consent all for to run away;
Her ol' father followed after us and that without delay,
He marched me back a prisoner and lodged me in Sligo jail.
'Twas there I lay in Sligo jail disturbed wit a troubled mind,
Her old father to swear against me I knew he felt inclined;
He said, good Judge and juries, no man can set him free,
Come, my great lord, he robbed my house and stole my child away.
My trial went on, my sentence passed, I was condemned to die,
This honourable lady she came down most bitterly did cry;
She says, good judge and juries, from death do set him free,
I loved him to destruction, which was his destiny.
And out of prison I was set, now thank God I am free,
In spite of her old father I gained my liberty;
ln spite of her old father in wedlock bands we're bound,
And living on her old estate one side of Galway town.
Collected in 1951 from Pat Critch of Flatrock, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).
MacEdward Leach also collected a variant in 1950 from Raymond Noseworthy of Pouch Cove, NL, and two other variants in 1951, from Will Sutton of Trepassey, and Mrs. Ghaney of Fermeuse, NL, which were all published as Willie Riley in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).
