A         E                  A       E                          A
Girls can never change their nature, that is quite beyond their reach.
A    E              A      E                  A
If a girl is born a lemon, she can never be a peach.
E                    A       E
But the law of compensation, is the one I always preach.
A         E              A      E                         A
You can always squeeze a lemon, but just try to squeeze a peach!


[Verse 2]
A      E                    A         E                      A
At the boarding house where I stayed, everything was growing old.
A      E               A       E                       A
Silver hairs among the butter, and the bread was all a-mold.
E                        A        E
When the dog died we had sausage, when the cat died – cat nip tea.
A        E               A           E                            A
When the landlord died I left there, spare ribs were too much for me.


[Verse 3]
A         E               A      E                        A
While the organ peeled potatoes, lard was rendered by the choir.
A        E               A        E                         A
When the sexton rang the dishrag, someone set the church on fire.
E                          A       E
“Holy smoke,” the preacher shouted as he madly tore his hair.
A       E              A       E                       A
Now his head resembles heaven, for there is no parting there.