A ballroom was filled with fashions grand And shone with a thousand lights There was a woman who passed along The fairest of all the sights A girl to her lover then softly said “She has riches at her command” “She’s married for wealth Not for love,” he cried “And she lives in a mansion grand.” Chorus But she’s only a bird in a gilded cage A beautiful sight to see You might think she was happy And free from care She’s not though she seems to be Tis sad when you think of her wasted life For youth cannot mate with age Her beauty she sold for an old man’s gold She’s a bird in a gilded cage. This beautiful woman surveyed the scene Her flatterers by the score Her gems were the purest, her gowns divine What could a woman want more Then memory brought back the face of a lad Whose love she had turned aside For happiness could not be bought for gold Although she’s a rich man’s bride. Chorus