Song lyrics to My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, a traditional Scottish folk song
Editor’s note: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean has been recorded by multiple artists, including: Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, and Laura Wright. It’s also been incorporated into multiple movies and TV shows, including:
- Laurel and Hardy‘s Scram!
- Abbott and Costello‘s The Naughty Nineties (a hilarious routine)
- The I Love Lucy episode, The Quiz Show
- Murder She Wrote, Woody Woodpecker, The Simpsons, etc.
Traditional version
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
My Bonnie lies over the sea
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me…
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me
O blow ye winds over the ocean
o blow ye winds over the sea
O blow ye winds over the ocean
and bring back my bonnie to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me
Last night as I lay on my pillow
Last night as I lay on my bed
Last night as I lay on my pillow
I dreamt that my Bonnie was dead
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me
The winds have blown over the ocean
The winds have blown over the sea
The winds have blown over the ocean
And brought back my Bonnie to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me
Boy Scout version
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
my Bonnie lies over the sea,
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
O bring back my Bonnie to me.
Chorus:
Bring back, bring back,
O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me:
Bring back, bring back,
O bring back my Bonnie to me.
O blow ye winds over the ocean,
O blow ye winds over the sea.
O blow ye winds over the ocean,
And bring back my Bonnie to me.
Repeat chorus
Last night as I lay on my pillow,
Last night as I lay on my bed,
Last night as I lay on my pillow,
I dreamed that my Bonnie was dead.
Repeat chorus
The winds have blown over the ocean,
The winds have blown over the sea,
The winds have blown over the ocean,
And brought back my Bonnie to me.
Repeat chorus
My Bonnie leaned over the gas tank,
The height of its contents to see,
I lit a small match to assist her,
O Bring back my Bonnie to me.
Repeat chorus
Last night as I lay on my pillow,
Last night as I lay on my bed,
I stuck my feet out of the window,
In the morning the neighbors were dead.
Repeat chorus
My mother makes beer in the bathtub,
My father makes synthetic gin,
My sister makes fudge for a quarter,
Wouldja believe how the money rolls in?
Repeat chorus
My mother, she drowned in the bathtub,
My father, he died from his gin,
My sister choked on her chocolate,
My stars, what a fix I am in.
Repeat chorus
I tried making beer in the bathtub,
I tried making synthetic gin,
I tried making fudge for a living,
Now look at the shape that I’m in.