Lyr. Add: RING, RING DE BANJO
First published as RING DE BANJO
Stephen Collins Foster, 1851 (1850?)

1*
Oh! nebber count de bubbles
While dere's water in de spring,
De darkey hab no troubles
While he got dis song to sing.
Be beauties ob creation
Will nebber lose der charm
While I roam de old plantation
Wid my true lub on my arm.

*Chorus-
Ring, ring de Banjo!
I like dat good old song.
Come again my true-lub,
Oh! wha you been so long.

2
De time is nebber dreary,
If de darkey nebber groans;
De ladies nebber weary
Wid de rattle ob de bones;
Den come again Susanna
By de gaslight ob de moon;
We'll tum de old Piano
When de banjo's out ob tune.

Chorus

3
Once I was so luckcy,
My massa set me free,
I went to old Kentucky
To see what I could see:
I could not go no farder,
I turn to massa's door,
I lub him all de harder,
I'll go away no more.

Chorus

4
Early in de morning
On a lubly summer day,
My massa send me warning
He'd like to hear me play.
On de banjo tapping,
I come wid dulcem strain;
Massa fall a napping---
He'll nebber wake again.

Chorus

5
My lub, I'll hab to leabe you
While de ribber's runnin' high;*
But I nebber can deceibe you---
So don't you wipe your eye.
I's guine to make some money;
But I'll come anodder day---
I'll come again my honey,
If I hab to work my way.

Chorus

*The earliest printed copies lack the first verse given here.
The music seems to have been used first in 1850.

* Chorus usually sung twice by most singers.

*When the river is high, the escapee is less likely to be sniffed out by dogs.

There are printed parodies, some of which I will post. One version for children is given at several websites.

Chords: http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/stephen-foster/008684.HTM

Sheet music at American Memory and Levy.