Lakes of Pontchartrain - Trad / Paul Brady It was [G] on one [D] fine March [C] morn-[G] ing, when I [Em] bid New [D] Orleans a[G]dieu And I took [D] the road to [C] Jackson [Em] town, my [G] fortunes to [C] renew I [G] cursed all [D] foreign [C] money [Em], no [G]credit could I [C] gain, Which [G] filled my [D] heart with [C] longing [Em]for The [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G]train I [G] stepped on [D] board a [C] railroad [G] car be-[Em] neath the [D] morning [G] sun. I rode the [D] rails ‘til [C] even-[Em] ing and [G] lay me down a-[C] gain. All [G] strangers [D] there, no [C] friends to [Em] me, ‘til a [G] dark girl towards me [C] came. And I [G] fell in [D] love with a [C] Creole [Em] girl on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train. I [G] said "my [D] pretty [C] Creole [G] girl, My [Em] money [D] here's no [G] good, If it weren't for the [D] alli-[C] ga-[Em] tors, I’d [G] sleep out in the [C] wood.” “You’re [G] welcome [D] here, kind [C] stran-[Em] ger, our [G] house is very [C] plain, But [G] we never [D] turn a [C] stranger [Em] out on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train. She [G] took me [D] to her [C] mammy’s [G] house, and [Em] treated [D] me right [G] well. Her hair [D] upon her [C] shoulders, in [G] jet black ringlets [C] fell. To [G] try to [D] paint her [C] beau-[Em] ty, I'm [G] sure ‘twould be in [C] vain So [G] handsome [D] was my [C] Creole [Em] girl on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train. I [G] asked her [D] if she’d [C] marry [G] me, She [Em] said that it [D] ne’er could [G] be, for she had [D] got a [C] lov-[Em] er, and [G] he was off at [C] sea she [G] said that [D] she would [C] wait for [Em] him and [G] true she would re[C] main Til [G] he’d re-[D]turn to his [C] Creole [Em] girl by the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train. So [G] fare thee [D] well my [C] Creole [G] girl I’ll [Em] never [D] see you [G] more But I wont for[D] get your [C] kind-[Em] ness in the [G] cottage by the [C] shore and [G] at each [D] social [C] gather-[Em] ing a [G] flowing glass I'll [C] drain, and [G] drink the [D] health to my [C] Creole [Em] girl on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train.