Goodnight, Ladies



"Goodnight, Ladies" is a folk song attributed to Edwin Pearce Christy, originally intended to be sung during a minstrel show. Drawing from an 1847 song by Christy entitled "Farewell, Ladies", the song as known today was first published on May 16, 1867.

Lyrics
VERSE I: Goodnight, ladies! Goodnight, ladies! Goodnight, ladies! We're going to leave you now.

CHORUS: Merrily we roll along, roll along, roll along. Merrily we roll along, o'er the dark blue sea.

VERSE II: Farewell, Ladies! Farewell, ladies! Farewell, ladies! We're going to leave you now.

CHORUS

VERSE III: Sweet dreams, ladies! Sweet dreams, ladies! Sweet dreams, ladies! We're going to leave you now.

CHORUS

Note: the "Merrily We Roll Along" chorus has the same melody as "Mary Had A Little Lamb".

Notable uses
Charles Ives quoted the song in A Symphony: New England Holidays (1897–1913): I. Washington's Birthday, toward the end of the movement.

Meredith Willson features the piece as the tenth number in The Music Man (1957).

Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album 101 Gang Songs (1961).