Sweet Betsey from Pike

Oh don't you remember sweet Betsy from Pike,

Who crossed the wide prairie with her lover Ike,

With two yoke of oxen, a big yellow dog,

A tall Shanghai rooster, and one spotted hog?

CHORUS:

Singing, goodbye, Pike County, farewell for awhile,

We’ll come back again when we’ve panned out our pile,

Singing tooral lal, looral lal, looral lal lay,

Singing tooral lal, looral lal, looral lal lay,

One evening quite early they camped on the Platte.

'Twas near by the road on a green shady flat.

Where Betsy, sore-footed, lay down to repose --

With wonder Ike gazed on that Pike County rose.

Their wagon broke down with a terrible crash

And out on the prairie rolled all sorts of trash

A few little baby clothes, done up with care

'Twas rather suspicious, though all on the square.

The Shanghai ran off, and their cattle all died;

That morning the last piece of bacon was fried;

Poor Ike was discouraged and Betsy got mad,

The dog drooped his tail and looked wondrously sad.

They stopped at Salt Lake to inquire of the way,

Where Brigham declared that sweet Betsy should stay;

But Betsy got frightened and ran like a deer

While Brigham stood pawing the ground like a steer.

They soon reached the desert where Betsy gave out,

And down in the sand she lay rolling about;

While Ike, half distracted, looked on with surprise,

Saying, "Betsy, get up, you'll get sand in your eyes."

Sweet Betsy got up in a great deal of pain,

Declared she'd go back to Pike County again;

But Ike gave a sigh and they fondly embraced,

And they traveled along with his arm round her waist.

They suddenly stopped on a very high hill,

With wonder looked down upon old Placerville;

Ike sighed when he said, and he cast his eyes down,

"Sweet Betsy, my darling, we've got to Hangtown."

Long Ike and Sweet Betsy attended a dance;

Ike wore a pair of his Pike County pants;

Sweet Betsy was dressed up in ribbons and rings;

Says Ike, "You're an angel, but where are your wings?"

A miner said, "Betsy, will you dance with me?"

"I will, you old hoss, if you don't make too free.

But don't dance me hard, do you want to know why?

Doggone ye, I'm chock full of strong alkali."

This Pike County couple got married, of course

But Ike became jealous, obtained a divorce

And Betsey, well satisfied, said with a shout

"Goodbye, you big lummox, I'm glad you backed out."

~ Anonymous