My parents treated me tenderly, there was no boy but me,

voiceCollected by Merlin Mitchell Transcribed by Kyle Perrin Reel 22 Item 1 Mrs. T.M. Davis & Mary Jo Fayetteville, Ark. February 25, 1950 The Rambling Boy My parents treated me tenderly, there was no boy but me, My mind was bent on rambling, w ith them I couldn't agree, So, I became a rambler, which grieved their hearts so sore, And I left my aged parents, I never shall see no more. There was a rich old farmer who lived a neighbor nigh, He had a handsome daughter on whom I cast an eye, He had a handsome daughter so beautiful and fair, That there wasn't a girl in the country with who I could compare. I asked if it made any difference if I w ent to Illinois, She said 'tw ould make no difference if I'd return again, So, we kissed, shook hands and parted, the girl I left behind. I landed near York Junction, a town in Illinois, Where work and money was plenty and the girls to me proved kind, But the only desires of my heart was the girl I left behind. One evening I was walking around the public square, The mail coach had ariven, the court boy met me there, He handed me a letter which gave to understand, That the girl I left behind me had run off w ith another man. I advanced a little bit farther, the news I found quite true, I turned myself around and about, I didn't know what to do, I swore my trade I would give o'er, in rambling I'd resign, That I'd travel this world from town to town for the girl I left behind. Oh, don't place your affections on the top of any tree, For the leaves they will wither and the roots they will decay, And the beauty of the fairest maid will soon fade away. Mitch..That's the very complete version of that song. What other title have you known it by? Mary Jo..The Girl I Left Behind. Mitch..I believe it's also called The Rich Old Farmer. Do you remember? Mary Jo..I think so.Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation