As I passed by a willow tree
That willow leaf blew down on me.
I picked it up, it would not break,
I passed my love, he would not speak.

Oh speak, young man, and don't be shy,
I'm not a girl can pass you by,
For friends we met and friends we'll part,
Just take my hand and not my heart.

I wish your bosom was of glass,
That I could view it through and through,
Just view those secrets of your heart,
If I love one I can't love two.

Then give me back to the one I love,
Oh give, oh give him back to me,
If I only had that one I love,
How happy, happy should I be.

My love he is a sailor boy,
He sails the ocean through and through,
And when he gets so far away,
He hardly thinks of me no more.

Now give me back to the one I love,
Oh give, oh give him back to me.
If I only had that one I love,
How happy, happy should I be.