Buffalo Gals

 "Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White". The song was widely popular throughout the United States, where minstrels often altered the lyrics to suit local audiences, performing it as "New York Gals" in New York City, "Boston Gals" in Boston, or "Alabama Girls" in Alabama, as in the version recorded by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins on a 1959 field recording trip. The best-known version is named after Buffalo, New York.

The chorus is:

Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight?

Come out tonight,

Come out tonight?

Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight,

And dance by the light of the moon?

The Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of all time.

The lyrics are a reference to the many "dancing girls" who performed in the bars, concert-hall dives, and brothels of the Buffalo, New York, Canal district, which at that time was the western terminus of the Erie Canal and the site where canal and freighter crewmen received their wages. 

To download the easy aplhnotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

chorus:
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Come out tonight, come out tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
And dance by the light of the moon

verses:
As I was walking down the street
Down the street, down the street
A pretty little gal I chanced to meet
Oh, she was fair to view

She was the prettiest gal I’ve seen in my life
In my life, in my life
And I wished to the Lord she’d be my wife
Then we would part no more

Oh, yes, dear boy, I'm coming out tonight
Coming out tonight, coming out tonight
Oh, yes, dear boy, I’m coming out tonight
And we’ll dance by the light of the moon

I danced with that gal with a hole in her stocking
And her heel kept a-rockin' and her toe kept a-knockin'
I danced with that gal with a hole in her stocking
And we danced by the light of the moon