Sweet Betsy from Pike

Title:Sweet Betsy from Pike

Artist:Connie Dover

Have you heard tell of sweet Betsy from Pike

She cross the wide prairie with her lover, Ike

With two yoke of Oxen, a big yellow dog,

A tall Shanghai rooster and one spotted hog

One evening quite early they camped on the Platte

'Twas nearby the road on a green, shady flat

Where Betsy, sore-footed, lay down to repose

And in wonder Ike gazed on his Pike County rose

The Indians came down in a wild yelling horde

And Betsy got scared they would scalp her adored

So under the wagon wheel Betsy did crawl

She fought off them Indians with musket and ball

It is out on the prairie one bright starry night

They broke out the whiskey and Betsy got tight

She sang and she shouted, she danced on the plain.

She made a great show for that whole wagon train

The Shanghai ran off and the cattle all died

The last piece of bacon that morning was fried

Ike got discouraged and Betsy got mad

The dog wagged his tail and looked wondrously sad

They soon reached the desert where Betsy gave out

And down in the sand she lay rolling about

While Ike in great terror looked on in surprise

Saying, Betsy get up, you'll get sand in your eyes

Sweet Betsy got up in a great deal of pain

Declared she'd go back to Pike County again

Ike, he just sighed, and they fondly embraced

And she traveled along with her arm round his waist

This bittersweet comic song, first popular in the

American gold rush era of 1849-59, describes

the hardships and frustrations experienced by

pioneer women as they moved west with their

families along the immigrant roads. The melody

is derived from the old English dance hlal song,

"Villikens and His Dinah."