The Gay Cavalier.
’Twas a beautiful night, and the stars shone bright,
And the moon o’er the waters played,
When a gay cavalier to a bower drew near,
A maid to serenade;
To tenderest words he swept the chords,
And many a sigh heaved he,
While o’er and o’er he fondly swore,
Sweet maid I love but thee.
} Repeat.
Sweet maid, sweet maid,
Sweet maid I love but thee.
He raised his eyes to her lattice high,
While he softly breathed his hopes,
With amazement he sees, swing about in the breeze,
Already a ladder of ropes,
Up, up he has gone, the bird is flown,
“What is this on the ground?” quoth he;
“Oh it’s plain that she loves, here’s some gentleman’s gloves,
She is off, and it’s not with me.”
} Repeat.
For these gloves, these gloves,
They never belonged to me.
Of course you’d have thought he’d have followed and fought,
As that was a dueling age,
But this gay cavalier, he quite scorned the idea
Of putting himself in a rage;
More wise by far, he put up his guitar,
And as homeward he went, sung he,
“When a lady elopes down a ladder of ropes,
She may go to Hong Kong for me.”
} Repeat.
She may go, she may go,
She may go to Hong Kong for me.