I've never sailed the Amazon

I've never sailed the Amazon,
    I've never reached Brazil;
But the Don and Magdalena,
    They can go there when they will!

        Yes, weekly from Southampton
        Great steamers, white and gold,
        Go rolling down to Rio
        (Roll down -- roll down to Rio!),
        And I'd like to roll to Rio
        Some day before I'm old!

I've never seen a Jaguar
    Nor yet an Armadill --
O dilloing in his armour,
    And I s'pose I never will,

        Unless I go to Rio
        These wonders to behold --
        Roll down -- roll down to Rio -- 
        Roll really down to Rio!
        Oh, I'd love to roll to Rio
        Some day before I'm old!

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936), no title, appears in Just So Stories, first published 1902 [ author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Edward German (1862 - 1936), "Rolling down to Rio", published 1903. [voice and piano] [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Text added to the website: 2006-03-30.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:02:18
Line count: 20
Word count: 105

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