The ToneWay® Project: helping people play music


Little Maggie [core]

Over yonder stands little 7b Maggie
With a 1 dram glass 5 in her 1 hand
She's a-drinkin' away her 7b troubles
And a 1 courting a5 nother 1 man

Oh how can I ever stand it
Just to see those two blue eyes
They're shining in the moonlight
Like two diamonds in the sky

Pretty flowers were made for blooming
Pretty stars were made to shine
Pretty girls were made for loving
Little Maggie was made for mine

Sometimes I have a nickel
Sometimes I have a dime
Sometimes I have ten dollars
Just to pay little Maggie's fine

Lay down your last ol' dollar
Lay down your gold watch and chain
Little Maggie's gonna dance for Daddy
Listen to this old banjo ring

Oh the last time I saw little Maggie
She was sitting on the banks of the sea
With her forty four around her
And a banjo on her knee

I'm going down to the station
With my suitcase in my hand
I'm going to leave this country
I'm going to some far and distant land

Go 'way, go 'way little Maggie
Go and do the best you can
I'll get me another woman
You can get you another man

It’s on Strum Machine!

Play & sing along with Little Maggie (or any song you type in) in any key, at any speed, with real instrument recordings. You have to see it to believe it.

Play this song on Strum Machine

Available in these books:

Get Started Plus: Core Songs Edition
100 songs and our acclaimed play-by-ear learning method.
Big Print Songs
Over 200 songs.
Family Tradition
The reference manual, with lyrics to 330 songs.
The first two books feature large-print lyrics (20-point type) and include chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.

...and on these CDs:

Five CDs, 100 songs. Recordings from the Abbott family and their friends.
Listen to sample tracks.

The MP3 collection has all 100 songs on one CD for a discount. See details.


A song from the The ToneWay Mountain Music Collection, which offers lyrics and free Song Clips (recordings for learning the song by ear) for nearly 400 traditional songs, many of which are often heard in bluegrass and old-time jam circles. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and a free online video series for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com