C                    G              C
On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down.
    F                C           G              C
And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune,
         F            C                  G             Am
In the middle of the tune, me boy, she smiled and she said,
     C              F                G   C
Oh Johnny, lovely Johnny don't you leave me.

     C                    G              C
When I was a young lad I heard me father say,
      F           C                G            C
That he'd rather see me dead,and buried in the clay,
  F               C        G       Am
Sooner than be married to any run away,
         C            F           G C
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses.

[Chorus]
C                    G              C
On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down.
    F                C           G              C
And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune,
         F            C                  G             Am
In the middle of the tune, me boy, she smiled and she said,
     C              F                G   C
Oh Johnny, lovely Johnny don't you leave me.


         C                     G                  C
Well now I am no run away and soon I'll have you know,
     F                C                G        C
That I can take the bottle, or I can leave it alone,
             F            C               G                 Am
And if her daddy doesn't like it, he can keep his daughter home,
            C              F          G   C
And young Johnny will go roving with another.

[Chorus]
C                    G              C
On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down.
    F                C           G              C
And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune,
         F            C                  G             Am
In the middle of the tune, me boy, she smiled and she said,
     C              F                G   C
Oh Johnny, lovely Johnny don't you leave me.

C                            G                C
When I am married, 'twill be in the month of May,
           F               C              G               C
When the leaves they are green, and the meadows they are gay,
    F               C         G                 Am
And me and my true love will sit and sport and play.
         C            F           G C
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses.

[Chorus]
C                    G              C
On the banks of the roses my love and I sat down.
    F                C           G              C
And I took out my fiddle for to play my love a tune,
         F            C                  G             Am
In the middle of the tune, me boy, she smiled and she said,
     C              F                G   C
Oh Johnny, lovely Johnny don't you leave me.

     C              F                G   C
Oh Johnny, lovely Johnny don't you leave me.