When a lady meets a gentleman down south,
'Neath the Swanee moon to a Swanee tune they love;
Then the lady tells her gentleman down south,
"Sure it's mighty fine just to know you're mine my love!".
Then they walk along where magnolias grow,
Two hearts sing a song that was written long ago.
When a lady meets a gentleman,
A very polished gentleman,
When a lady meets a gentleman down south.
Life is well worth the while when you live in the south,
There you learn how to smile when you live in the south.
Folks fall in love most every day,
But in that land of sunshine, it's done in a different way!
When a lady meets a gentleman down south,
'Neath the Swanee moon to a Swanee tune they love;
Then the lady tells her gentleman down south,
"Sure it's mighty fine just to know you're mine my love!".
That's why I love to roam where the cotton grows;
The fellows take you home without wrinkles in your hose!
And you don't see rouge all spattered round your mouth
When a lady meets a gentleman,
A very polished gentleman,
When a lady meets a gentleman down south.