I Come From Salem City 

trad:  Lyrics courtesy of www.sailorsongs.com

melody is of "Stephen Foster's "Oh Suzanna" 

G                                             A7                            D7
I came from Salem City with my washbowl on my knee

         G                                              D7      G 
I'm going to California the gold dust for too see

      G                                               A7                   D7 
It rained all night the day I left the weather it was dry

           G                                                         D7           G 
The sun so hot I froze to death oh! brothers don't you cry

Chorus 
C                       G                             D7 
Oh! California, that's the land for me, 

      G                                                        A7              D7       G  
I'm bound for San Francisco with my washboard on my knee

I jumped aboard the "Liza" ship and traveled on the sea

And every time I though of home I wished it wasn't me

The vessel reared like any horse, that had of oats a wealth

I found it wouldn't throw me so I thought I'd throw myself
CHORUS

I though of all the pleasant time we've had together here

 I thought that I would cry a bit, but couldn't find a tear

 The pilot bread was in my mouth, the gold dust in my eye

Although I'm going far away Oh! brothers don't you cry
CHORUS

I soon shall be in "Frisco, and there I shall look around

and when I see the gold lumps there, I'll pick them off the ground

I'll scrape the rivers clean my boys, I'll drain the rivers dry

A pocket full of rock bring home so brother's don't you cry
CHORUS     

Lyrics courtesy of www.sailorsongs.com