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Let me go to my home in the far distant west
To the scenes of my youth that I once love the best,
Where the tall cedars wave and the bright waters flow,
My parents will greet me—white man, let me go.
Let me go to the spot where the cataract flies,
Where often I sported in my boyhood days,
Where sits my poor mother whose heart would overflow
At the sight of her child—to her let me go.
Let me go to my father, to his valiant side,
Where often I sported in the height of my pride,
Determined to conquer the insolent foe,
To my father the chief, white man, let me go.
Let me go to the hills and the valleys so fair,
For often I breathe it, my old mountain air.
And there through the forest with quiver and bow
I chased the wild deer—white man, let me go.
Let me go to the side of that dark-eyed maid
Who taught me to love her beneath the green willow shade;
Her heart like the fawn as pure as the snow,
She loves her dear Indian—white man, let me go.
Let me go, let me go to my far forest home,
And never again will I wish for to roam;
And there let my body in ashes lie low,
To the scenes in the forest, white man, let me go.
This variant was collected in 1952 from Phillip Foley of Tilting (Fogo Island), NL, by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.164-165, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
A variant was collected in 1950 from Vincent Ledwell (1888-1982) of Calvert, NL, and also published as White Man, Let Me Go in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA). MacEdward Leach also collected a similar variant in 1951 from Richard Pennell of Trepassey, NL, and published it with two missing verses as To My Home In The Forest Let Me Go in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).
