From the musical comedy “The Pink Lady”, 1910.
Words by C. M. S. McLellan.
Music Ivan Caryll.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
1. By the banks of the Seine
With girls so beautiful
It gives one pain to remain
Quite dutiful
And yet, I’ve sworn by the stars above
Throughout my life to reserve my love
For a girl by the Saskatchewan
For a girl by the Saskatchewan
But the girls by the Seine
All come canoodling
They’re bold and vain
With a taste for snoodling
Their lips are red
And their eyes are bright
And they’ve got a style that removes from sight
A girl by the Saskatchewan
Yes, a girl by the Saskatchewan
Refrain:
Flow, river, flow
Down to the sea, bright sea
Bring my loved one home to me
True, dear one, true, I’m trying to be
But hear me say
It’s a very long, long way
From the banks of the Seine
For a girl to go and stay
By the banks of the Saskatchewan
2. When you love by the Seine
You suffer awfully
If you refrain from enjoying, quite lawfully
The sweet, gay life in a gay, sweet way
And save your love till you’re old and grey
For a girl by the Saskatchewan
For a girl on the Saskatchewan
On the banks of the Seine
There’s love awaiting you to quell the pain
That’s exasperating you
So, skip with joy as you laugh, Ha, ha!
And wire a quick little cool Ta, ta!
To the girl on the Saskatchewan
To the girl by the Saskatchewan
Refrain:
Come, faithful one, come stray with me
This is springtime up in gay Paree
You need a rest, from your fidelity
For hear me say
It’s a very wrong, wrong way
When you love on the Seine
To sit grieving all the day
For a girl on the Saskatchewan