[Chorus] On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down. And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune In the middle of the tune me boy she smiled and she said Oh Johnny lovely Johnny don’t you leave me. When I was a young lad I heard me father say That he’d rather see me deadand buried in the clay Sooner than be married to any run away By the lovely sweet banks of the roses. [Chorus] On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down. And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune In the middle of the tune me boy she smiled and she said Oh Johnny lovely Johnny don’t you leave me. Well now I am no run away and soon I’ll have you know That I can take the bottle or I can leave it alone And if her daddy doesn’t like it he can keep his daughter home And young Johnny will go roving with another. [Chorus] On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down. And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune In the middle of the tune me boy she smiled and she said Oh Johnny lovely Johnny don’t you leave me. When I am married ’twill be in the month of May When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay And me and my true love will sit and sport and play. By the lovely sweet banks of the roses. [Chorus] On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down. And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune In the middle of the tune me boy she smiled and she said Oh Johnny lovely Johnny don’t you leave me. Oh Johnny lovely Johnny don’t you leave me.