At sixteen I fell for Billy
He was a tall and bonny youth
A friend to every pretty girl
But a stranger to the truth
He swore he loved me dearly
I swore I’d not upset him
But he said he couldn’t marry me
His wife would never let him

Oh, never the bride
Never the bride
Show me a man with only one side
I’m bound to live a single life
Never, oh, never the bride

I took up with Jack at seventeen
No finer boy I knew
He said I was the air he breathed
And I believed his words were true
He worked the docks at Liverpool
Loading steamers bound for Spain
But his heart was young and restless
And he soon sailed away

Oh, never the bride
Never the bride
Show me a man with only one side
I’m bound to live a single life
Never, oh, never the bride

I turned eighteen that summer
And I wore John Dawson’s ring
He sailed for Valparaiso
And I waited ‘til the spring
I turned away all others
And I slept alone each night
When I cried, ‘twas not for Johnny
‘ Twas for my sorry life

Oh, never the bride
Never the bride
Show me a man with only one side
I’m bound to live a single life
Never, oh, never the bride
Never, oh, never the bride