These are the words of a frontier man
Who lost his love when he turned bad

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her where I am
Take a message to Mary
But don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her that I had to see the world
Tell her that my ship set sail
You can say she'd better not wait for me
But don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her what I've done
Please, don't mention the stage coach
And the shot from a carried gun
You better tell her that I had to change my plans
And cancel out the wedding-day
But please, don't mention my lonely cell
Where I'm gonna pine away
Until my dying-day

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her all you know
My heart is aching for Mary
Lord knows I miss her so
Just tell her that I went to Timbukto
Tell her I'm searching for gold
You can say she better find someone new
To cherish and to hold
Oh Lord, this cell is so cold