Chorus: My boy am de dearest,
My boy am de nearest,
No boy has eyes that shine,
Half so bright and true as mine.
My boy loves me dearly
And fills my heart with joy,
And tho' some day he'll be old and grey,
I shall always love my boy.

Homeward through the cotton fields as daylight dies,
Goes a coon in old Virginny,
But Chloe from the doorway in a whisper cries,
'Hush! don't wake the piccaninny!'
Chloe is the little girl that once we knew,
Now a happy wife and loving mummy, too;
And her babe caressing, eyes with love aglow,
In Peter's arms she nestles, crooning soft and low...

Chorus: My boy am de dearest,
My boy am de nearest,
No boy has eyes that shine,
Half so bright and true as mine.
My boy loves me dearly
And fills my heart with joy,
And tho' some day he'll be old and grey,
I shall always love my boy.

Across the rippling river floats the music's hum,
From the dance in old Virginny,
But while 'de gods are waiting dere' for Pete to come,
Pete, that was that piccaninny!
He sits with his mammy in a fond embrace,
Kissing tears of sorrow from her dear old face;
Now her only treasure but within his eyes,
She sees such love that as she smoothes his hair she cries...