Well, Johnny be fair and Johnny be fine and wants me for to wed
And I would marry Johnny, but my father up and said
I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew
But Johnny is a son of mine and so he's kin to you

Well, Jimmy be fair and Jimmy be fine and wants me for to wed
And I would marry Jimmy, but my father up and said
I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew
But Jimmy, too, is a son of mine and so he's kin to you

Well, Billy be fair and Billy be fine and wants me for to wed
And I would marry Billy, but my father up and said
I'm sad to tell you daughter what your mother never knew
But Billy, too, is a son of mine and so he's kin to you

You never seen a girl so sad and sorry as I was
The boys in town are all my kin and my father is the pa
If this continue I shall die a single miss
So I'll go to mother and complain to her of this

Oh daughter, haven't I taught you to forgive and to forget
Even if this all is true, still you needn't fret
Your father may be father to all the boys in town, still
He's not the one who sired you, so marry who you will