Nelly Bly! Nelly Bly!
Bring de broom along,
We’ll sweep de kitchen clean, my dear,
And hab a little song.
Poke de wood, my lady lub,
And make de fire burn,
And while I take de banjo down,
Just gib de mush a turn.

Chorus:
Heigh! Nelly, Ho! Nelly,
listen lub to me,
I’ll sing for you, play for you,
a dulcem melody.

Nelly Bly hab a voice
like de turtle dove,
I hears it in de meadow
and I hears it in de grove.
Nelly Bly hab a heart
warm as cup of tea,
And bigger dan de sweet potato
down in Tennessee.

Chorus

Nelly Bly shuts her eye
when she goes to sleep,
When she wakens up again
her eyeballs gin to peep.
De way she walks, she lifts her foot,
and den she brings it down,
And when it lights der’s music dah
in dat part of de town.

Chorus

Nellly Bly! Nelly Bly!
Nebber, nebber sigh,
Nebber bring de teardrop to
de corner ob your eye,
For de pie is made ob punkins
and de mush is made ob corn,
And der’s corn and punkins plenty lub
a lyin in de barn.

Chorus