[00:05.74]Title:Sweet Betsy from Pike
[00:08.84]Artist:Connie Dover
[00:13.32]
[00:18.56]Have you heard tell of sweet Betsy from Pike
[00:22.07]She cross the wide prairie with her lover, Ike
[00:25.86]With two yoke of Oxen, a big yellow dog,
[00:29.60]A tall Shanghai rooster and one spotted hog
[00:33.68]
[00:36.80]One evening quite early they camped on the Platte
[00:40.54]'Twas nearby the road on a green, shady flat
[00:44.48]Where Betsy, sore-footed, lay down to repose
[00:48.51]And in wonder Ike gazed on his Pike County rose
[00:52.07]
[00:55.53]The Indians came down in a wild yelling horde
[00:59.62]And Betsy got scared they would scalp her adored
[01:03.64]So under the wagon wheel Betsy did crawl
[01:07.01]She fought off them Indians with musket and ball
[01:10.20]
[01:13.51]It is out on the prairie one bright starry night
[01:18.25]They broke out the whiskey and Betsy got tight
[01:22.03]She sang and she shouted, she danced on the plain.
[01:26.08]She made a great show for that whole wagon train
[01:35.67]
[01:51.16]The Shanghai ran off and the cattle all died
[01:53.83]The last piece of bacon that morning was fried
[01:58.74]Ike got discouraged and Betsy got mad
[02:02.68]The dog wagged his tail and looked wondrously sad
[02:05.87]
[02:09.12]They soon reached the desert where Betsy gave out
[02:13.28]And down in the sand she lay rolling about
[02:17.10]While Ike in great terror looked on in surprise
[02:21.09]Saying, Betsy get up, you'll get sand in your eyes
[02:25.04]
[02:28.25]Sweet Betsy got up in a great deal of pain
[02:31.98]Declared she'd go back to Pike County again
[02:36.01]Ike, he just sighed, and they fondly embraced
[02:40.89]And she traveled along with her arm round his waist
[02:44.66]
[02:48.51]This bittersweet comic song, first popular in the
[02:51.89]American gold rush era of 1849-59, describes
[02:54.73]the hardships and frustrations experienced by
[02:57.72]pioneer women as they moved west with their
[02:59.63]families along the immigrant roads. The melody
[03:01.89]is derived from the old English dance hlal song,
[03:05.22]"Villikens and His Dinah."