Irish traditional song lyrics — collected by Beer Belly Band.
Chorus:
On the Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
In the middle of the tune, oh she sighed and she said
O-ro Johnny lovely Johnny don’t ya leave me
When I was a young man I heard me father say
That he’d rather see me dead and buried in the clay
Sooner than be married to any runaway
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
Chorus
And then I am no runaway and soon I’ll let them know
That I can take the bottle or can leave it alone
If her daddy doesn’t like it he can keep his daughter at home
And you Johnny will go rovin’ with another
Chorus
And when I get married twill be in the month of May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
And me and me true love we’ll sit an and sport and play
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
Chorus