I WOULDN'T MARRY....

I wouldn't marry a man too rich
Shabby de-rue de-rue
He'll keep me whipping from stitch to stitch
Shabby de-rue de-rue
Shabby de-rue to-little to-little to too
Shabby de-rue de-rue

I wouldn't marry a man too poor
He'll keep me begging from door to door

I wouldn't marry a man to old
His face grows wrinkled, his love grows cold

I wouldn't marry a man to young
His wavering mind, his perlathing tongue

I wouldn't marry a man at all
I'll stay at home and keep maiden's hall

The saddle and bridle are on the fence,
If you want any more you can sing it yourself


"Secured by Mrs. George H. Barnett in 1913 from Mrs. Sarah Henry, who learned it in Saline County about 1865-70."
Printed in H.M Belden's Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society (Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Studies, 1940), 262.