Poor Little Girls of Ontario

1. I'll sing you a song of that lone pest
It goes by the name of the Great Northwest
I cannot have a beau at all,
They all skip out there in the fall.

Chorus
One by one, they all clear out,
Thinking to better themselves, no doubt,
Caring little how far they go
From the poor little girls of Ontario.

2. First I got mashed on Charley Brown
The nicest fellow in all the town
But he tipped his hat and sailed away
And now he's settled in Manitobay.

3. Then Henry Maynard with his white cravat
His high stiff collar and his new plug hat
He said if he stayed, he'd have to beg
And now he's settled in Winnipeg.

4. Then my long-legged druggist with his specs on his nose,
I really thought that he'd propose
But he's sold his bottle-shop and now he's gone
Clear out to little Saskatchewan.

5. I'll pack my clothes in a carpet sack
I'll go out there and I'll never come back
I'll find me a husband, and a good one, too
If I have to go through to Cariboo.

Last Chorus
One by one, we'll all clear out
Thinking to better ourselves, no doubt,
Caring little how far we go
From the old, old folks of Ontario.

from Mrs. Hartley Minifie, Peterborough, to Edith Fowke: "Folk
Songs of Ontario", Folkways, 1958
JB
apr96