O the boys and the girls went a huckleberry hunting Ch: To my way-ay ah! O, the girls began to cry, and the boys they stop'd hunting Ch: To my hi-lo, we'll ran-zo-way Then a little girl ran off, And a boy he ran after, Ch: To my way-ay ah! And the little girl fell down And he saw her little garter. Ch: To my hi-lo, we'll ran-zo-way He said, "I'll be your beau If you'll have me for a feller," Ch: To my way-ay ah! But the little girl said "No, For my sweetheart's Johnny Miller." Ch: To my hi-lo, we'll ran-zo-way
The boys and the girls went a huckleberry hunting Ch: To my way.. ay.. ay.. yah! All the boys and the girls went a huckleberry hunting Ch: To my Hilo, my Ran-zo-ray

Fragment

Oh! What did you give for your fine leg o' mutton?

Oh! what did you give fer yer fine leg o' mutton Ch: to me way ay-ay you Ranzo Ohh what did yer give fer yer fine leg o' mutton Ch: To me Hi-lo; me Ranzo way...

Fragment with alternate verses

Fragments of this American shanty are given in several collections. It has been described for use at the pumps or capstans and even when raising halyards. “In other words,” wrote Stan Hugill, “it appears to have been used for every shipboard job with perhaps the exception of tacks and sheets, and hand-over-hand!”

Hugill elaborated that the verses he knew were “mainly obscene and much the same as those used in the bawdy version of A-Roving”. Some versions also share similarities with Abel Brown, but the extent of the Huckleberry adventure varies considerably from singer to singer. The chorus traditionally invokes the nonsense words (or potential mondegreens) Ranzo and Hilo (both of which appear in Reuben Ranzo).

Early collectors pointed to a Down East (eastern coastal US/Canada, e.g. Maine) origin for this tune, especially due to the words “beau” and “feller”. On the other hand, Mudcat user Gibb Sahib (Gibb Schreffler) has done an admirable job finding additional sources and arguments for a Southern US birthplace, including 1908 recordings in Georgia.