Sweet Betsy From Pike: Lyrics

Oh, don't you remember sweet Betsy from Pike?
Crossed the wide prairies were her lover Ike,
Two yoke of oxen and one spotted hog,
A tall Shanghai rooster and a big yellow dog.

  Chorus:
  Hoodle dang fol dee di do
  Hoodle dang fol dee day

They soon reached the desert where Betsy give out,
And down on the sand she lay rolling about,
And Ike he gazed at her with sobs and with sighs,
Quoth he "Get up Betsy, you'll get sand in your eyes."

  Chorus:

The Shanghai ran off and the oxen all died,
And the last piece of bacon that morning was fried,
And Ike got discouraged and Betsy got mad,
And the dog wagged his tail and looked wonderful sad.

  Chorus:

Long Ike and Sweet Betsy attended a dance,
And Ike wore a pair of his Pike COunty pants,
And Betsy come dressed up in ribbons and rings,
Quoth Ike "You're an angel, but where are your wings?"

  Chorus:

A miner stepped up said "Will you dance with me?"
"I will you old hoss, if you don't make too free,
I'll tell you the reason, do you want to know why,
Doggone you I'm chuck full of strong alkali."

  Chorus:

Long Ike and Sweet Betsy got married of course,
But Ike getting jealous obtained a divorce.
Betsy well satisfied said with a shout,
"Good bye you big lummox I'm glad you backed out."

  Chorus:

Of note:

Thousands of versions of this song exist, none any more interesting than this. Dreary and boring, Cisco thankfully keeps it comparatively brief. Anyone looking for gender roles in this piece of nonsense is barking up the wrong anthropological tree.

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