These are the words of a frontier lad Who lost his love when he turned bad Take a message to Mary But don't tell her where I am Take a message to Mary But don't say I'm in a jam You can tell her I had to see the world Tell her that my ship set sail You can say she better not wait for me But don't tell her I'm in jail Don't tell her I'm in jail Take a message to Mary But don't tell her what I've done Please don't mention the stagecoach And the shot from a careless gun You can tell her I had to change my plans And cancel out the wedding day But please don't mention my lonely cell Where I'm gonna pine away Until my dying day Take a message to Mary But don't tell her all you know My heart's sinking for Mary Lord knows I miss her so Just tell her I went to Timbuktu Tell her I'm searching for gold You can say she better find someone new To cherish and to hold Oh Lord this cell is cold Mary, Mary Oh Lord this cell is cold