Daniel Decatur Emmett - Dance Boatman Dance

      [Intro]
       D
The boatman dance, the boatman sing,
       D               A    D
The boatman do ‘most anything,
       D
And when the boatman get on shore,
       D                 A        D
He spends his cash and works for more.

[Chorus]
D                        D       A       D
Dance, boatman, dance, dance, boatman, dance,
D                          G         D
Dance all night till the broad daylight,
     G             A            D
Go home with the gals in the morning.
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio,
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D                  G          A   D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio.

[Verse]
       D
The boatman is a thrifty man,
          D                 A       D
There’s none can do as the boatman can.
    D
I never saw a pretty girl in my life
       D             A        D
But that she was a boatman’s wife.

[Chorus]
D                        D       A       D
Dance, boatman, dance, dance, boatman, dance,
D                          G         D
Dance all night till the broad daylight,
     G             A            D
Go home with the gals in the morning.
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio,
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D                  G          A   D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio.

[Verse]
   D
I went on board the other day
    D                     A     D
To see what the boatman had to say,
    D
And there I let my passion loose;
       D                A     D
They crammed me in the calaboose.

[Chorus]
D                        D       A       D
Dance, boatman, dance, dance, boatman, dance,
D                          G         D
Dance all night till the broad daylight,
     G             A            D
Go home with the gals in the morning.
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio,
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D                  G          A   D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio.

[Verse]
  D
When you go to the boatman’s ball,
    D                     A     D
Dance with your wife or not at all.
D
Sky-blue jacket, tarpaulin hat,
       D                 A            D
Look out, boys, for the nine-tailed cat.

[Chorus]
D                        D       A       D
Dance, boatman, dance, dance, boatman, dance,
D                          G         D
Dance all night till the broad daylight,
     G             A            D
Go home with the gals in the morning.
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio,
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D                  G          A   D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio.

[Verse]
  D
When the boatman blows his horn,
D                           A       D
Look out, old man, your daughter’s gone.
     D
He stole my sheep, he stole my goat,
       D                 A              D
He put ’em in a bag and took ’em to the boat.

[Chorus]
D                        D       A       D
Dance, boatman, dance, dance, boatman, dance,
D                          G         D
Dance all night till the broad daylight,
     G             A            D
Go home with the gals in the morning.
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio,
G
Hi, ho, the boatman row,
D                  G          A   D
Sailing down the river on the Ohio.