So come all you gents and ladies, and listen, I will let you hear,
It’s of a terrible story, that happened in this present year.
I’ve been thinking of no harm, to Grogan's store I steered my course,
And I met Bill Hampton's gander and he courting Nancy Hogan's goose.

You all know poor old Nancy, she have got the devil's own auld tongue,
She swore through all the high courts, that she would get the gander hung.
‘You will not hang my gander, the goose herself she’s more to blame,
She strolls out every morning, by damned, I’m sure she's fond of game.’

Now the police, they came next morning and marched the gander off to jail,
And waiting for the assizes, he wouldn’t be let out without strong bail.
There he stood in prison until his trial day came on,
And again Nancy did appear, and there she swore the right and wrong.

So the jury found him guilty and said, ‘My boy, you won't get loose.
You'll get seven year's transportation for courting Nancy Hogan's goose.’
So th'auld gander smiled and cocked his tail,
And looked at the judge straight in the face,
Sayin' ‘Is it for doing my duty, I have to leave my native place?
For if I didn't do my duty the story it would be far worse,
They will have no goslings, and they’d have Nancy Hogan's curse.’

When the judge, he heard the gander speak, he said, ‘My boy, I’ll let you loose.
But when you go back to Grogan's store, be sure and don’t cook Nancy’s goose.’
‘When I go back to Grogan’s store, I’ll feed myself with oats and grass,
And I'll court Nancy Hogan's goose when I get old Nancy gone to Mass.’

So come all you hens and ducks and drakes, turkeys, geese and cocks likewise,
I’ll have it to shun night walking or else ye’ll meet ye're sad surprise.
Ye'll be tried for doing yere duty, like Bill Hampton's gander when he got loose
He got nearly oh transported, for courting Nancy Hogan's goose.