—Bill Monroe version
A pretty fair maiden in the garden
A cowboy he came ridin' by
He rode up to the bench beside her
Said pretty fair maiden won't you be my bride
Oh no no no, no sir she answered
Why do you impose on a girl like me
I have a sweetheart among the cowboys
Who has for years been gone from me
Perhaps your sweetheart he is drownded
Or perhaps he's on some battlefield slain
Or perhaps he's to some pretty girl married
Or perhaps he'll never return again
Oh if he's dead I know he's happy
And if he's alive I'll see him again
And if he's to some pretty girl married
I'll love the girl that married him
Down on his knees he knelt beside her
And he asked of her to be his bride
And he told her that he was her cowboy
Who had returned to be by her side
Verse and Chorus:
| I | I | IV | I |
| IV | I | V | I |