Full Lyrics
In a quiet little valley, by a clear and babbling stream,
Where the ripples gently murmur, and the pebbles brightly gleam;
Stands a neat and tidy cottage on the green and pleasant shore,
All quiet, unassuming as in good old days of yore.
The pleasant days of summer, with their pure and balmy air,
Made this little home enchanting to young Ella, pure and fair;
With her hook and line she wandered, always full of childish glee;
Her blooming cheek was crimson, and her heart was light and free.
While thus she gaily rambled, thinking not to woo or win,
Another hook and line she found, its owner tall and slim;
Says he, “My dear, let’s partners be; dear Ella, trust in me;
And I’ll be constant, kind, and true, and cherish only thee.”
Says he, “My dear, I did not care to even bait my hook;
I only went to meet you, love, beside the babbling brook.”
The little brook is running still, where Ella used to play;
He’s lost his taste for fishing now, since Ella named the day.
