There's a long green valley on the old Kentucky shore
Where I whiled the many happy hours away
A sittin' and a singin' by the little cottage door
Where live my darling, Nellie Gray.

Oh, my poor Nellie Gray they have taken you away
And I'll never see my darling anymore
I'm a sittin' by the river and I'm weeping all the day
For you've gone from the old Kentucky shore.


When the moon had climbed the mountain
And the stars were shining to
Then I'd take my darling, Nellie Gray
And we'd float down the river in my little red canoe.
While my banjo I was sweetly played.

Oh, my poor Nellie Gray they have taken you away
And I'll never see my darling anymore
I'm a sittin' by the river and I'm weeping all the day
For you've gone from the old Kentucky shore...