Peaches in the summertime,
Apples in the fall,
If I can't get the girl I love,
Won't have none at all.
Shady grove, my true love,
Shady grove, I know,
Shady grove, my true love,
I'm bound for the shady grove.
Once I was a little boy,
Playin' in the sand,
Now I am a great big boy,
I think myself a man,
Shady grove, my true love,
Shady grove, I know,
Shady grove, my true love,
I'm bound for the shady grove.
When I was a little boy,
I wanted a whittlin' knife;
Now I am a great big boy
And I want a little wife.
Shady grove, my true love,
Shady grove, I know,
Shady grove, my true love,
I'm bound for the shady grove.
Wish I had a banjo string,
Made of golden twine,
And every tune I'd pick on it
Is "I wish that girl were mine."
Shady grove, my true love,
Shady grove, I know,
Shady grove, my true love,
I'm bound for the shady grove.
Some come here to fiddle and dance,
Some come here to tarry,
Some come here to fiddle and dance,
I come here to marry.
Shady grove, my true love,
Shady grove, I know,
Shady grove, my true love,
I'm bound for the shady grove.
Every night when I go home,
My wife, I try to please her,
The more I try, the worse she gets,
Damned if I don't leave her.
Shady grove, my true love,
Shady grove, I know,
Shady grove, my true love,
I'm bound for the shady grove.