In the rock (and roll) community, Bill Monroe may be best known via one of Elvis Presley's earliest recordings at Sun Records, that of Monroe's 'Blue Moon of Kentucky'. Patsy Cline also made a highly regarded version of this song.
Little Maggie
Bill Monroe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a dram glass in her hands
She's drinking away her troubles
She's a courtin' some other man
Oh how can I ever stand it
Just to see them two blue eyes
A shinin in the moonlight
Last time a saw little Maggie
She was standin' on the banks of the sea
With a forty-four strapped around her
And a banjo on her knee
Lay down your last gold dollar
Lay down your gold watch and chain
Little Maggie's gonna dance for daddy
Listen to that old banjo ring
Pretty flowers were made for blooming
Pretty stars were made to shine
Pretty girls were made for lovin'
Little Maggie was made for mine
Bill Monroe's song Little Maggie tells the story of a man who is heartbroken after seeing the woman he loves, Little Maggie, drinking and flirting with another man. In the first verse, he describes her with a dram glass, which is a small glass used to serve alcoholic beverages. He is pained to see her courting another man, knowing that she does not love him anymore. In the second verse, he expresses his agony by questioning how he can bear seeing her two blue eyes shine like diamonds in the moonlight.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yonder stands little Maggie
Little Maggie can be seen from afar
With a dram glass in her hands
She's holding a small alcoholic drink
She's drinking away her troubles
She's trying to forget her problems by drinking
She's a courtin' some other man
She's trying to win the affections of another man
Oh how can I ever stand it
It's hard to bear the sight of them together
Just to see them two blue eyes
Looking into her blue eyes hurts him
A shinin in the moonlight
Her eyes sparkle in the moonlit night
Like two diamonds in the sky
Her eyes are as precious as diamonds
Last time a saw little Maggie
The last time he saw Maggie
She was standin' on the banks of the sea
She was standing near the sea
With a forty-four strapped around her
She carried a .44 caliber gun
And a banjo on her knee
She also had a banjo
Lay down your last gold dollar
Give up all your money
Lay down your gold watch and chain
Surrender all of your prized possessions
Little Maggie's gonna dance for daddy
Maggie is going to perform a dance for her father
Listen to that old banjo ring
The sound of the banjo is music to his ears
Pretty flowers were made for blooming
Flowers exist to bloom beautifully
Pretty stars were made to shine
Stars exist to shine brightly
Pretty girls were made for lovin'
Girls exist to be loved
Little Maggie was made for mine
Maggie is meant to belong to him
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL MONROE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Gnarman
Shame on you for whoever disliked this song. I was brought up on this music my grandfather played bass and sang bass for the highland grass his name is Stanley Skidmore. He has alzheimers now but I still keep the bluegrass flowing in are family god bless.
Jeffrey Lynn
Great stuff. Thanks.
Patrick O'Laughlin
Nice !
mestigio
Nice!
Richard Moore
Love Bill Monroe, but I prefer Ralph Stanley's version of Little Maggie.
John Boudreau
Red Allen does it better but Bill is still the King.
Babs Wright
Billy Strings has a great version of little Maggie.
Craig Miller
Ha, holy Fck