Here's my transcription from the original 1869 sheet music, available at the Library of Congress. I put the three corrections in boldface type.
THE BUCKSKIN BAG OF GOLD
(Henry Clay Work)
Last night I met him on the train,
A man with lovely eyes;
And he gave me such a searching glance
Of sweetly charm'd surprise!
I knew 'twas he the lady meant,
Who once my fortune told,
By his jet black eyes, his grand moustache,
And his buckskin bag of gold.
CHORUS:
Yes! Yes! he is the man
Who does your fortune hold!
He has jet black eyes, a grand moustache,
And a buckskin bag of gold.
Tall! Slim! quick as a flash!
And twenty two years old;
He has jet black eyes, a grand moustache,
And a buckskin bag of gold.
The dearest man you ever saw,
How much I love him now!
And if I should live a thousand years,
No other hears my vow.
Like Judas, no, like Jupiter,
He looked so brave and bold,
With his jet black eyes, his grand moustache,
And his buckskin bag of gold.
Sweet boy, bring me the "Morning Call"!
Perchance I'll find his name;
At the Grand Hotel he must have stopped,
I wonder when he came!
He must have charmed those Lumpkin girls,
So haughty, proud and cold,
By his jet black eyes, his grand moustache,
And his buckskin bag of gold.
How can I seek a name unknown?
Oh, tell me where he went!
What is this I read! Why Papa's bank
Is robbed of every cent!
The thief, it seems, left town last night,
Well, well! I'm nicely sold!
He had jet black eyes, a grand moustache,
And a buckskin bag of gold.
@flirting @outlaw
filename[ BUCKBAG
TUNE FILE: BUCKBAG
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Note that there is a rest missing at the end of the verses, just before the chorus.
Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:
Buckskin Bag of Gold
DESCRIPTION: "Last night I met him on the train, A man with lovely eyes," who had "jet black eyes," a "grand mustache," and a "buckskin bag of gold." He makes a splash -- and eventually flees town once "Papa's bank Is robbed of ev'ry cent"
AUTHOR: Henry Clay Work
EARLIEST DATE: 1869 (sheet music published by S. Brainerd's Sons with copyright by Root & Cady)
KEYWORDS: courting robbery theft abandonment
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
WorkSongs, pp. 47-51, "The Buckskin Bag of Gold" (1 text, 1 tune, a copy of the original sheet music)
Roud #11710
File: SMBuBaGoGo to the Ballad Search form
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