There was a wealthy merchant
And in Charleston he did dwell.
He had a lovely woman,
And the tailor loved her well.
Come a rotty trotty trotty,
Come a rotty trotty tree.
She went to the tailor,
Said, "My husband's gone to sea,
And the while he is away,
Won't you come and stay with me?"
He hadn't been with her
But a half an hour or more
When along came her husband,
A-knocking at the door.
It woke up the tailor
In the middle of his sleep,
Crying, "Oh dear woman!
Where to shall I creep?"
She ran down the stairs
For to open up the door,
And there stood her husband
And several others more.
She gave him a hug
And she gave him a kiss
Saying, "Oh dear husband
What's the meaning, pray of this?"
I didn't come here
To disturb ye of your rest;
I'm going off to sea,
And I've come to get me chest."
In walked four men,
Big and strong.
They picked up the chest
And they toted it along.
They hadn't got more than
A quarter mile from town
When the weight of the chest
Made the sweat roll down.
They set it on the ground
For to take a moment's rest;
Says one to another,
"Say, the Devil's in that chest."
So they opened up the chest
Right there before them all,
And there laid the tailor,
Like a piggy in the straw.
"If I don't drown you,
Then Hell damn me,
‘Cause I don't want you
Starting any tailor kids for me."
So they took him off to China
And they traded him for tea,
And that was the end of
The little Tailoree.