The American version is about a man who travels to Louisville and falls in love with a woman named Mary, Flora or Molly, the eponymous Lily of the West.
The lyrics to the first verse, as famously sung by Joan Baez:When first I came to Louisville, some pleasure there to findA damsel there from Lexington was pleasing to my mindHer rosy cheeks, her ruby lips, like arrows pierced my breastAnd the name she bore was Flora, the lily of the West- and every verse ends with a repetition of the phrase, Flora, the lily of the West.
Below is the first verse of a version printed in 1857 in Glasgow, Scotland, described as a "highly popular song":It's when I came to England some pleasure for to find, When I espied a damsel most pleasing to my mind, Her rosie cheeks, and rolling eyes like arrows pierced my breast, And they called her lovely Flora the Lily of the West.
Its popularity was such that in Kansas, local versifiers used the song for a parody:" Come all you folks of enterprise who feel inclined to roamBeyond the Mississippi to seek a pleasant home;Pray take a pioneer's advice, I'll point you out the best- I mean the state of Kansas, the lily of the WestThe song survived long enough in North America for audio recordings to be made of traditional versions, particularly in the Ozark region of the United States.
Bob Dylan,[30] The Chieftains, Bert Jansch - Live At The 12 Bar, Josh Andrews, The Flash Girls, Caroline Groussain, Sheri Kling, Show of Hands, Peter, Paul and Mary (as "Flora"), Mark Knopfler, Crooked Still, Dirty Linen, Branimir Štulić (in Croatian, titled "Usne Vrele Višnje"[31]) and Pat Gubler (PG Six) on the album Slightly Sorry (Amish Records 2010) among others.
Arizona road band Major Lingo performed a long jam version of the song using an electric slide guitar and slightly different lyrics.