C                                 F            C
    My tender parents brought me up, provided for me well,
                                             G             C
    'twas in the city of Lanson Town, they placed me in a mill.

             C                                    F             C
    It was there I spied a pretty fair miss, on whom I cast my eye,
                                        G             C
    I asked her if she'd marry me, and she believed a lie.

( C G C )

            C                                F                 C
    Three weeks ago last Saturday night, of course it was the day,
                                   G               C
    the devil put it in my mind to take her life away.

       C                              F                 C
    I went into her sister’s house at eight o'clock one night,
                                          G            C
    but little did the creature think on her I had my spite.

( C G C )

      C                                    F            C
    I asked her, if she'd take a walk with me a little ways,
                                       G                C
    that she and I might have a talk about our wedding day.

        C                                F             C
    We walked along until we came to my little desert place,
                                              G               C
    I grabbed a stick off of the fence and struck her in the face.

( C G C )

       C                                             F           C
    I run my fingers through her coal black hair to cover up my sin,
                                        G                  C
    I drug her to the river side, and there I plunged her in.

       C                            F              C
    I started back unto my mill, I met my servant John,
                                     G            C
    he asked me why I was so pale and it so very warm.

( C G C )

         C                                 F                   C
    Come all young men and warning take, unto your lovers be true,
                                    G              C
    and never let the devil get the upper hand of you