Bob Dylan - complete album lyrics

 Love Sick   

I'm walkin' through streets that are dead
Walkin', walkin' with you in my head
My feet are so tired
My brain is so wired
And the clouds are weepin'

Did I hear someone tell a lie?
Did I hear someone's distant cry?
I spoke like a child
You destroyed me with a smile
While I was sleepin'

I'm sick of love that I'm in the thick of it
This kind of love, I'm so sick of it

I see, I see lovers in the meadow
I see, I see silhouettes in the window
I'll watch them 'til they're gone
And they leave me hangin' on
To a shadow.

I'm sick of love, I hear the clock tick
This kind of love, ah, I'm love sick

Sometimes the silence can be like thunder
Sometimes I wanna take to the road and plunder
Could you ever be true
I think of you
And I wonder

I'm sick of love, I wish I'd never met you
I'm sick of love, I'm tryin' to forget you

Just don't know what to do
I'd give anything to
Be with you


 Dirt Road Blues

Gonna walk down that dirt road
'Til someone lets me ride
Gonna walk down that dirt road
'Til someone lets me ride
If I can't find my baby
I'm gonna run away and hide

Well, I've been pacin' 'round the room
Hopin' maybe she'd come back
Pacin' 'round the room
Hopin' maybe she'd come back
Well, I've been praying for salvation
Layin' 'round in a one-room country shack

Gonna walk down that dirt road
Until my eyes begin to bleed
Gonna walk down that dirt road
Until my eyes begin to bleed
'Til there's nothing left to see
Til the chains have been shattered and I've been freed

But I've been at my shadow
I been watchin' the colors up above
Lookin' at my shadow
Watchin' the colors up above
Rolling through the rain and hail
Lookin' for the sunny side of love

Gonna walk on that dirt road
'Til everything becomes the same
Gonna walk down that dirt road
'Til everything becomes the same
I'll keep on walkin' 'til I hear her holler at my name


 Standing In The Doorway

I'm a-walkin' through the summer nights
The jukebox playing low
Yesterday everything was goin' too fast
Today it's moving too slow

I got no place left to turn
I got nothing left to burn
Don't know if I saw you
If I would kiss you or kill you
It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
I got nothing to go back to now

The light in this place is so bad
Makin' me sick in the head
All the laughter is just makin' me sad
The stars have turned cherry red

I'm strummin' on my gay guitar
Smokin' a cheap cigar
The ghost of our old love has not gone away
Don't look it like it will any time soon
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Under the midnight moon

Maybe they'll get me, and maybe they won't
But not tonight and it won't be here
There are things I could say but I don't
I know the mercy of God must be near

I've been ridin' the midnight train
Got ice water in my vein

I would be crazy if I took you back
It would go up against every rule
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Sufferin' like a fool

When the last rays of daylight go down
Buddy you're older or more
I can hear the church bells ringin' in the yard
I wonder who they're ringin' for?

I know I can't win
But my heart just won't give in

Last night I danced with a stranger
But she just reminded me you were the one

You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
In the dark land of the sun

I'll eat when I'm hungry
Drink when I'm dry
And live my life on the square
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care

It always meaned so much, even the softest touch.
I see nothin' to be gained by any explanation
There's no words that need to be said
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Blues wrapped around my head


 Million Miles

You took a part of me that I really miss
I keep askin' myself how long it can go on like this
You told yourself a lie - that's alright, mama, I told myself one too
I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you

You took the silver, you took the gold
You left me standin' out in the cold
People ask about you, I didn't tell them everything I knew
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you

I'm driftin' in and out of dreamless sleep
Throwin' all my memories in a ditch so deep
Did so many things I never did intend to do
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you

I need your love so bad, turn your lamp down low
I need every bit of it for the places that I go
Sometimes I wonder 'til it's just what it's all coming to
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you

Well, I don't dare close my eyes and I don't dare wink
Maybe in the next life I'll be able to hear myself think
Feel like talkin' to somebody but I just don't know who
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you

Yes, the last thing you said before ya hit the street
Gonna find me a janitor to sweep me off my feet
I said: That's all right, mamma, you, you do what you gotta do
Well, I've tried to get closer, I'm still a million miles from you

Rock me, pretty baby, rock me all at once
Rock me for a little while, rock me for a couple of months
And I'll rock you too
I'm tryin' to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

Well, there's voices in the night tryin' to be heard
I'm sittin' here listening to every mind-pollutin' word
I know plenty of people put me up for a day or two
Yes, I'm tryin' to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you


 Trying To Get To Heaven

The air is getting hotter, there's a rumblin' in the skies
I've been wading through the high muddy water
With the heat risin' in my eyes
Every day your memory grows dimmer
It dosn't haunt me like it did before
I've been walking through the mirror to nowhere
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door

When I was in Missouri they would not let me be
I had to leave there in a hurry
I only saw what they let me see
You broke a heart that loved you
Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore
I've been walkin' that lonesome valley
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door

People on the platforms, waitin' for the trains
I can hear their hearts a-beatin'
Like pendulums swinging on chains
When you think that you've lost everything
You find out you can always lose a little more
I'm just goin' down the road feeling bad
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door

I'm goin' down the river, down to New Orleans
They tell me everything is gonna be all right
But I don't know what all right even means
I was ridin' in a buggy with Miss Mary Jane
Miss Mary Jane got a house in Baltimore
I've been all around the world, boys
And I'm tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door

Gonna sleep down in the parlor and relive my dreams
I close my eyes and I wonder
If everything is as hollow as it seems
Some trains don't pull no gamblers
No midnight ramblers, like they did before
I've been to sugar town, I shook the sugar down
Now I'm tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door


 'Til I Fell In Love With You

Well my nerves are exploding and my body's tense
I feel like the whole world gonna end up against the fence
I've been hit too hard, seen too much
Nothing can heal me now but your touch
I just don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you

Well, my house is on fire, burnin' to the sky
Well, I thought it would rain but the clouds passed by
And I feel like I'm comin' to the end of my way
I know God is my shield and he won't lead me astray
Still, I don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you

Boys in the street beginnin' to play
Girls like birds, flyin' away
When I'm gone you will remember my name
I'm gonna win my way to wealth and fame
Yet I just don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you

Well, junk's pilin' up, takin' up space
My eyes feel like they've fallen off my face
Sweat pourin' down, I'm starin' at the floor
I'm thinkin' about that girl who won't be back no more
I just don't know what to do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you

Well, I'm tired of talkin', I'm tired of tryin' to explain
My attemps to please ya, they were all in vain
Tomorrow night before the sun goes down
If I'm still among the livin' I'll be Dixie bound
Still, I just don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right, 'til I fell in love with you


 Not Dark Yet

Shadows are fallin' and I've been here all day
It's too hot to sleep and time is runnin' away
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind
She put down in writin' what was in her mind
I just don't see why I should even care
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

Well, I've been to London and I been to gay Paris
I've followed the river and I got to the sea
I've been down on the bottom of the world full of lies
I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

I was born here and I'll die here against my will
I know it looks like I'm movin' but I'm standin' still
Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from
Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there



 Cold Irons Bound

I'm beginnin' to hear voices and there's no one around
I'm all used up and the fields have turned brown
I went to church on Sunday as she passed by
And my love for her has taken such a long time to die
Well, I'm waist deep, waist deep in the mist
It's almost like, almost like, I don't exist
I'm twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound

Well, the walls of pride are high and wide
Can't see over to the other side
It's such a sad thing to see beauty decay
It's sadder still to feel your heart turn away
One look at you and I'm out of control
Like the universe has swallowed me whole
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound

There's too many people, too many to recall
I thought some of Œem were friends of mine, I was wrong about 'em all
Well, the road is rocky and the hillside mud
Up over my head, nothing but clouds of blood
I found my world, found my world in you
But your love just hasn't proved true
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound
Twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound

Well the winds in Chicago have torn me to shreds
Reality has always had too many heads
Some things last longer than you think they will
Some kind of things you can never kill
Though it's you, and you only, I'm singin' about
But you can't see in and it's hard looking out
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound

Well, the fat's in the fire and the water's in the tank
Well, the whiskey's in the jar and the money's in the bank
I tried to love and protect you because I care
I'm gonna remember forever the joy we've shared
Looking at you and I¹m on my bended knee
You've no idea what you did to me
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound
Twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound



 Make You Feel My Love

When the rain is blowin' in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawlin' down the avenue
No, there's nothin' that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

Though storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regrets
Though winds of change are throwing wild and free
You ain't seen nothin' like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love



 Can't Wait

I can't wait, wait for you to change your mind
It's late, I'm tryin' to walk the line
Well, it's way past midnight
And there's some people all around
Some on their way up, some on their way down
The air burns and I'm tryin' to think straight
An' I don't know how much longer I can wait

I'm your man, I'm tryin' to recover the sweet love that we knew
You understand that my heart can't go on beatin' without you
Well your loveliness has wounded me
I'm reelin' from the blow
I wish I knew what it was that keeps me lovin' you so
I'm breathin' hard, standin' at the gate
Ah, but I don't know how much longer I can wait

Skies are gray
I'm lookin' for anything that will bring a happy glow
Night or day, it doesn't matter where I go anymore, I just go
If I ever saw you comin' I don't know what I might do
I'd like to think I could control myself but it isn't true
That's how it is when things disintegrate
And I don't know how much longer I can wait

I'm doomed to love you
I've been rollin' through stormy weather
I'm thinkin' of you
And all the places we could roam together

It's mighty funny
The end of time has just begun
Oh, honey, after all these years you're still the one
Well, I'm strollin' through the lonely graveyard of my mind
I left my life with you somewhere back there along the line
I thought somehow that I would be spared this fate
I don't know how much longer I can wait



 Highlands

Well, my heart's in the highlands, gentle and fair
Honey suckle bloomin' in the wildwood air
Bluebells blazin' where the Aberdeen waters flow
Well, my heart's in the highlands, I'm gonna go there when
I feel good enough to go

Windows were shakin' all night in my dreams
Everything was exactly the way that it seems
Woke up this mornin' and I looked at the same old page
Same old rat race, life in the same old cage

I don't want nothin' from anyone, ain't that much to take
Wouldn't know the difference between a real blonde and a fake
Feel like a prisoner in a world of mystery
I wish someone would come and push back the clock for me

Well, my heart's in the highlands, wherever I roam
That's where I'll be when I get called home
The wind it whispers to the buck-eyed trees of rhyme
Well, my heart's in the highlands, I can only get there one step at a time

I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound
Someone's always yellin': Turn him down
Feel like I'm driftin', driftin' from scene to scene
I'm wondering what in the devil could it all possibly mean

Insanity is smashin' up against my soul
You could say I was on anything but a roll
If I had a conscience, well I just might blow my top
What would I do with it anyway, maybe take it to the pawn shop

My heart's in the highlands at the break of dawn
By the beautiful lake of the black swan
Big white clouds like chariots that swing down low
Well, my heart's in the highlands, only place left to go

I'm in Boston town, in some restaurant
I got no idea what I want
Or maybe I do but, I'm just really not sure
Waitress comes over, nobody in the place but me and her

Well, it must be a holiday, there's nobody around
She studies me closely as I sit down
She got a pretty face, with long white shiny legs
I said: Tell me what I want," she say: You probably want hard boiled eggs

I say: That's right, bring me some
She says:  We ain't got any, you picked the wrong time to come
Then she says: I know you're an artist, draw a picture of me
I said: I would if I could but I don't do sketches from memory

Well, she then, she says: I'm right here in front of you, or haven't you looked?
I say: All right, I know but I don't have my drawing book
She gives me a napkin, she say: You can do it on that
I say: Yes I could but I don't know where my pencil is at

She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says: All right now go ahead, draw me, I'm stayin' right here
I make a few lines and I show it for her to see
Well, she takes her napkin and throws it back and says:
That don't look a thing like me

I said: Oh, kind Miss, it most certainly does
She say: You must be jokin'! I say: I wish I was
Then she says: You don't read women authors, do ya?
At least that's what I think I hear her say
Well, I said: How would you know and what would it matter anyway?

Well she says: You just don't seem like you do
I said: You're way wrong

She says: Which ones have you read then?
I say: I've read Erica Jong

She goes away for a minute and I slide out, out of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street but nobody is goin' anywhere

Well, my heart's in the highlands with the horses and hounds
Way up in the border country far from the towns
With the twang of the arrow and the snap of the bow
My heart's in the highlands, I can't see any other way to go

Every day is the same thing, out the door
Feel further away than ever before
Some things in life it just gets too late to learn
Well, I'm lost somewhere, I must have made a few bad turns

I see people in the park forgettin' their troubles and woes
They're drinkin' and dancin', wearin' bright colored clothes
All the young men, with the young women lookin' so good
Well, I'd trade places with any of 'em in a minute, if I could

I'm crossing the street to get away from a mangy dog
Talkin' to myself in a monologue
I think what I need might be a full length leather coat
Somebody just asked me if I've registered to vote

The sun is beginnin' to shine on me
But it's not like the sun that used to be
The party's over and there's less and less to say
I got new eyes, everything looks far away

Well, my heart's in the highlands at the break of day
Over the hills and far away
There's a way to get there and I'll figure it out somehow
Well, I'm already there in my mind, and that's good enough for now

 Frankie & Albert

Frankie was a good girl
Everybody knows
Paid one hundred dollars
For Albert's new suit of clothes
He was her man but he done her wrong

Albert said þI'm leaving you
Won't be gone for long
Don't wait up for me
A-worry about me when I'm gone
He was her man but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to the corner saloon
Get a bucket of beer
Said to the bartender
Has my lovin' man been her?
He was her man but he done her wrong

Well, I ain't gonna tell you no stories
I ain't gonna tell you no lies
I saw Albert an hour ago
With a gal named Alice Bly
He was her man but he done her wrong

Frankie went down to 12th street
Lookin' up through the window high
She saw her Albert there
Lovin' up Alice Bly
He was her man but he done her wrong

Frankie pulled out a pistol
Pulled out a forty-four
Gun went off a-rootie-toot-toot
And Albert fell on the floor
He was her man but he done her wrong

Frankie got down upon her knees
Took Albert into her lap
Started to hug and kiss him
But there was no bringin' him back
He was her man but he done her wrong

Gimme a thousand policemen
Throw me into a cell
I shot my Albert dead
And now I'm goin' to hell
He was my man but he done me wrong

Judge said to the jury
Plain as a thing can be
A woman shot her lover down
Murder in the second degree
He was her man but he done her wrong

Frankie went to the scaffold
Calm as a girl could be
Turned her eyes up toward the heavens
Said: Nearer, my God, to Thee
He was her man but he done her wrong



 Jim Jones

Come and listen for a moment, lads, and hear me tell my tale
How across the sea from England I was condemned to sail
Now the jury found me guilty then says the judge, says he:
Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you across the stormy sea

But take a tip before you ship to join the iron gang
Don't get too gay in Botany Bay or else you'll surely hang
Or else you'll surely hang, says he: And after that Jim Jones
It's high above on the gallows tree, the crows will pick your bones

And our ship was high upon the sea when pirates came along
But the soldiers on our convict ship were full five hundred strong
For they opened fire and somehow drove that pirate ship away
But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship than gone to Botany Bay

With the storms ragin' round us and the winds a-blowin' gale
I'd rather have drowned in misery than gone to New South Wales
There's no time for mischief there, they say: remember that, says they
Or they'll flog the poaching out of you down there in Botany Bay

Now it's day and night and the irons clang, and like poor galley slaves
We toil and toil, and when we die must fill dishonored graves
And it's by and by I'll slip my chains, well, into the bush I'll go
And I'll join the bravest rankers there Jack Donohue and co

And some dark night, when everything is silent in the town
I'll shoot those tyrants one and all I'll gun the floggers down
Oh, I'll give the land a little shock remember what I say
They'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay


 Blackjack Davey

Black Jack Davey come a-ridin' on back
A whistlin' loud and merry
Made the woods around him ring
And he charmed the heart of a lady
Charmed the heart of a lady
How old are you, my pretty little miss
How old are you, my honey?
She answered to him with a lovin' smile
I'll be sixteen come Sunday
Be sixteen come Sunday
Come and go with me, my pretty little miss
Come and go with me, my honey
Take you where the grass grows green
You never will want for money
You never will want for money

Pull off, pull off them high-heeled shoes
All made of Spanish leather
Get behind me on my horse
And we'll ride off together
We'll both go off together
Well she pulled off them high-heeled shoes
Made of Spanish Leather
Got behind him on his horse
And they rode off together
They both rode off together

At night the boss came home
Inquirring about his lady
The servant spoke before she thought
She's been with Black Jack Davey
Rode off with Black Jack Davey
Well, saddle for me my coal-black stud
He's speedier than the gray
I rode all day and I'll ride all night
And I'll overtake my lady
I'll bring back my lady

Well, he rode all night till the broad daylight
Till he came to a river ragin'
And there he spied his darlin' bride
In the arms of Black Jack Davey
Wrapped up with Black Jack Davey
Pull off, pull off them long blue gloves
All made of the finest leather
Give to me your lily-white hand
And we'll go home together
We'll both go home together

Well, she pulled off them long blue gloves
All made of the finest leather
Gave to him her lily-white hand
And said goodbye forever
Bid farewell forever
Would you forsake your house and home
Would you forsake your baby?
Would you forsake your husband too
To go with Black Jack Davey
Ride off with Black Jack Davey?

Well, I'll forsake my house and home
And I'll forsake my baby
I'll forsake my husband too
For the love of Black Jack Davey
Love my Black Jack Davey
Last night I slept in a feather bed
Between my husband and baby
Tonight I lay on the river banks
In the arms of Black Jack Davey
Love my Black Jack Davey


 Canadee-I-O

Well, it's all of a fair and a handsome girl
She's all in her tender years
She fell in love with a sailor boy
It's true she loved him well
For to go off to sea with him
Like she did not now how
She longed to see that seaport town
Of Canadee-I-O

So he bargained with the sailor boy
All for a piece of gold
Straightaway then he led her
Down into the hold
Sayin': I'll dress you up in sailor's clothes
Your jacket shall be blue
You'll see that seaport town
Of Canadee-I-O

Now, when the other sailors heard the news
Well, they fell into a rage
And with all the ship's company
They were willing to engage
Sayin': We'll tie her hands and feet, my boys
Overboard we'll throw her
She'll never see that seaport town
Called Canadee-I-O

Now, when the captain he heard the news
Well, he too fell in rage
And with the whole ships' company
He was willing to engage
Sayin': She'll stay all in sailor's clothes
Her color shall be blue
She'll see that seaport town
Called Canadee-I-O

Now, when they come down to Canada
Scarcely 'bout half a year
She's married this bold captain
Who called her his dear
She's dressed in silks and satins now
She cuts a gallant show
Finest of the ladies
Down Canadee-I-O

Come all you fair and tender girls
Wheresoever you may bee
I'd have you to follow your own true love
Whene'er he goes to sea
For the sailors prove false to you
Well, the captain he might prove true
You'll see the honor I have gained
By the wearing of the blue



 Sittin' On Top Of The World

Was in the summer one early fall
Just tryin' to find my little all and all

   Now she's gone an' I don't worry
   Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world

Was in the spring one sunny day
Just when she left me,she went away

Now don't come runnin' holdin' up your hand
Can get me a woman quick as you can get a man

Happen for days didn't know your name
Oh, why should I worry or crave you in vain?

Went to the station down in the yard
Gonna get me a freight train work's done got hard

The lonesome days they have gone by
Why should I beg you? You said goodbye


 Little Maggie

Oh, where is little Maggie?
Over yonder she stands
Rifle on her shoulder
Six-shooter in her hand

How can I ever stand it
Just to see them two blue eyes
Shinin' like some diamonds
Like some diamonds in the sky

Rather be in some lonely hollow
Where the sun don't ever shine
Than to see you be another man's darling
And to know that you'll never be mine

Well, it's march me away to the station
With my suitcase in my hand
Yes, march me away to the station
I'm off to some far-distant land

Sometimes I have a nickel
And sometimes I have a dime
Sometimes I have ten dollars
Just to pay for little Maggie's wine

Pretty flowers are made for blooming
Pretty stars are made to shine
Pretty girls are made for boy's love
Little Maggie was made for mine

Well, yonder stands little Maggie
With a dram glass in her hand
She's a-drinkin' down her troubles
Over courtin' some other man


 Hard Times (by Stephen Foster)

Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears
While we all sup sorrow with the poor
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears
Oh, hard times, come again no more

'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more

While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay
There are frail forms fainting at the door
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say
Oh, hard times, come again no more

'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more

There's a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away
With a worn heart, whose better days are o'er
Though her voice it would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day
Oh, hard times, come again no more

'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more

'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more


 Step It Up and Go

Got a little girl, little and low
She used to love me but she don't no more
She gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go

Got a little girl, she stays upstairs
Make a livin' by puttin' on airs
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah man
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go

Front door shut, back door too
Blinds pulled down, what'cha gonna do?
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go

Got a little girl, her name is Ball
Give a little bit, she took it all
I said step it up an' go - Yeah man
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go

Me an' my baby walkin' down the street
Tellin' everybody 'bout the chief of police
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go

Tell my woman I'll see her at home
Ain't no lovin' since she been gone
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go

Well, I'll sing this verse, aint gonna sing no more
Hear my gal call me and I got to go
Step it up an' go - Yeah, man
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go


 Tomorrow Night

(G)To(D7)morrow (G)night
(G)will you remember (C)what you said to night?
To7morrow (Cm)night
(D7)Will all the thrill be (G)gone? (G#7 - Am7)
(D7)Tomorrow (G)night
(G7)Will it be just another (C)memory
Or just another (Cm)song
(D7)That's in my heart to linger (G)on? (C - G)

(D)Your lips are so (G)tender
Your (D)heart is beating (G)fast
(Bm)And you willingly surrender
(Em)To me, but (D)darling, (C)will it (D7)last?
Tomorrow (G)night
(G7)will you be with me when the (C)moon is bright?
Tomorrow (Cm)night
Will you (D7)say those lovely things you said to(G)night? (Am7)

(D)Your kisses are so (G)tender
As (D)I was leading (G)fast
(Bm)And you willingly surrender
(Em)To me, but (D)darling, (C)will it (D7)last?
Tomorrow (G)night
(G7)will you be with me when the (C)moon is bright?
Tomorrow (Cm)night
Will it be(D7)just a vivid dream to(G)night? (Am7)

 Arthur McBride

Oh, me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride
As we went a-walkin' down by the seaside
Mark know what followed and what did betide
For it bein' on Christmas mornin'

Now, for recreation, we went on a tramp
And we met Sergeant Napper and Corporal Vamp
And a little wee drummer intending to camp
For the day bein' pleasant and charming

Good morning, good morning, the sergeant he cried:
And the same to you gentleman, we did reply
Intending no harm but means to pass by
For it bein' on Christmas morning

But, says he: My fine fellows, if you will enlist
Ten guineas in gold I'll stick in your fist
And a crown in the bargain for to kick up the dust
And drink the king's health in the morning

For a soldier, he leads a very fine life
And he always is blessed with a charming young wife
And he pays all his debts without sorrow or strike
And he always lives pleasant and charmin'

And a soldier he always is decent and clean
In the finest of clothing he's constantly seen
While other poor fellows go dirty and mean
And sup on thin gruel in the morning

But, says Arthur: I wouldn't be proud of your clothes
For you've only the lend of them, as I suppose
But you're dare not change them one night, for you know
If you do, you'll be flogged in the morning

And although that we're single and free
We take great delight in our own company
We have no desire strange places to see
Althoug that your offers are charming

And we have no desire to take your advance
All hazards and dangers we barter on chance
For you'd have no scruples for to send us to France
Where we could get shot without warning

Oh no! says the Sergeant: I'll have no such chat
And neither will I take it from snappy young brats
For if you insult me with one other word
I'll cut off your heads in the mornin'

And Arthur and I, we soon drew our hogs
And we scarce gave them time to draw their own blades
When a trusty shillelagh came over their head
And bid them take that as fair warning

And their old rusty rapiers that hung by their sides
We flung them as far as we could in the tide
Now take them up, devils ! cried Arthur McBride
And temper their edge in the morning!

And the little wee drummer, we flattered his bow
And we made a football of his rowdy-dow-dow
Threw it in the tide for to rock and to roll
And bade it a tedious returning

And we havin' no money, paid them off in cracks
We paid no respect to their two bloody backs
And we lathered them there like a pair of wet sacks
And left them for dead in the morning

And so, to conclude and to finish disputes
We obligingly asked if they wanted recruits
For we were the lads who would give them hard clouts
And bid them look sharp in the morning

Oh, me and my cousin, one Artur McBride
As we went a-walkin' down by the seaside
Mark now what followed and what did betide
For it bein' on Christmas morning


 You're Gonna Quit Me

You're gonna quit me, baby
Good as I been to you, Lawd, Lawd (2)
Good as I been to you

Give you my money, honey
Buy you shoes and clothes, Lawd, Lawd (2)
Buy you shoes and clothes

You're gonna quit me, baby
Put me outta doors, Lawd, Lawd (2)
Put me outta doors

Six months on the chain gang
Believe me, it ain't no fun, Lawd, Lawd (2)
Believe me, it ain't no fun

Jailhouse ain't no plaything
Believe me, ain't no lie, Lawd, Lawd (2)
Believe me, ain't no lie

Day you quit me, baby
That's the day you die, Lawd, Lawd (2)
That's the day you die


 Diamond Joe

Now there's a man you'll hear about
Most anywhere you go
And his holdings are in Texas
And his name is Diamond Joe

And he carries all his money
In a diamond-studded jar
He never took much trouble
With the process of the law

I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys
Did offer him my hand
He gave a string of horses
So old they could not stand

And I nearly starved to death, boys
He did mistreat me so
And I never saved a dollar
In the pay of Diamond Joe

Now his bread it was corn dodger
And his meat you couldn't chaw
Nearly drove me crazy
With the waggin'of his jaw

And the tellin' of his story
Mean to let you know
That there never was a rounder
That could lie like Diamond Joe

Now, I tried three times to quit him
But he did argue so
I'm still punchin' cattle
In the pay of Diamond Joe

And when I'm called up yonder
And it's my time to go
Give my blankets to my buddies
Give the fleas to Diamond Joe


 Froggie Went A Courtin'

Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh  (3)
With a sword and a pistol by his side, uh-huh

Well he rode right up to Miss Mousey's door, uh-huh (3)
Gave three loud raps and a very big roar, uh-huh

Said: Miss Mouse, are you within, uh-huh?  (3)
Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin, uh-huh

He took Miss Mousey on his knee, uh-huh  (3)
Said: Miss Mousey, will you marry me, uh-huh?

Without my uncle Rat's consent, uh-huh  (3)
I wouldn't marry the president, uh-huh

Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides, uh-huh  (3)
To think his niece would be a bride, uh-huh

Uncle rat went runnin' downtown, uh-huh  (3)
To buy his niece a wedding gown, uh-huh

Where shall the wedding supper be, uh-huh?  (3)
Way down yonder in a hollow tree, uh-huh

What should the wedding supper be, uh-huh?  (3)
Fried mosquito in a black-eyed pea, uh-huh

Well, first to come in was a flyin' moth, uh-huh  (3)
She laid out the table cloth, uh-huh

Next to come in was a juney bug, uh-huh  (3)
She brought the water jug, uh-huh

Next to come in was a bumbley bee, uh-huh  (3)
Sat mosquito on his knee, uh-huh

Next to come in was a broken black flea, uh-huh  (3)
Danced a jig with the bumbley bee, uh-huh

Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, uh-huh  (3)'
She tried to dance but she didn't know how, uh-huh

Next to come in was a little black tick, uh-huh  (3)
She ate so much she made us sick, uh-huh

Next to come in was a big black snake, uh-huh  (3)
Ate up all of the wedding cake, uh-huh

Next to come in was the old gray cat, uh-huh  (3)
Swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat, uh-huh

Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook, uh-huh
A lily-whit duck come and swallowed him up, uh-huh

A little piece of cornbread layin' on a shelf, uh-huh  (3)
If you want any more, you can sing it yourself, uh-huh

 World Gone Wrong

Strange things have happened like never before
My baby told me I would have to go
I can't be good no more, once like I did before
I can't be good, baby
Honey, because the world gone wrong.

Feel bad this morning, ain't got no home
No use in worrying cause the world gone wrong
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, because the world gone wrong.

I told you baby, right to your head
If I didn't leave you, I would have to kill you dead
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, cause the world gone wrong.

I tried to be lovin', and treat you kind
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, cause the world's gone wrong.

If you had a woman and she don't treat you kind
Praise the Good Lord to get her out of your mind
'I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, because the world gone wrong.

Said, when you been good now, can't do no more
Just tell her kindly, þThere is the front doorþ
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, because the world's gone wrong.

Pack up my suitcase, give me my hat
No use to ask me baby, cause I'll never be back
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby.
Honey, because the world gone wrong.



 Love Henry

"Get down, get down Love Henry," she cried
"And stay all night with me
I have gold chains, and the finest I have
I'll apply them all to thee."

"I can't get down and I shan't get down
Or stay all night with thee
Some pretty little girl in Cornersville
I love far better than thee."

He layed his head on a pillow of down
Kisses she gave him three
With a penny knife that she held in her hand
She murdered mortal he.

"Get well, get well Love Henry," she cried
"Get well, get well," said she
"Oh don't you see my own heart's blood
Come flowin' down so free ?"

She took him by his long yellow hair
And also by his feet
She plunged him into well water, where
It runs both cold and deep.

"Lie there, lie there, Love Henry," she cried
"'Til the flesh rots off your bones
Some pretty little girl in Cornersville
Will mourn for your return."

"Hush up, hush up, my parrot," she cried
"Don't tell no news on me
Or these costly beads around my neck
I'll apply them all to thee."

"Fly down, fly down pretty bird," she cried
"And light on my right knee
The doors to your cage shall be decked with gold
And hung on a willow tree."

"I won't fly down, I can't fly down
And light on your right knee
A girl who would murder her own true love
Would kill a little bird like me."



 Ragged & Dirty

(Lord) I'm broke, I'm hungry, ragged and dirty too (2)
If I clean up sweet mama, can I stay all night with you.

(Lord) I went to my window, babe, I couldn't see through my blinds (2)
Heard my best friend coming around I thought I heard my baby cry.

(Lord) if I can't come in here, baby then just let me sit down in your door (2)
And I would leave so soon that your man won't never know.

How can I live here baby, Lord, and feel at ease? (2)
Well, that woman I got, man, she do just what she feels.

(Lord, you) shouldn't mistreat me, baby, because I'm young and wild (2)
You must always remember, baby, you was once a child.

('Cause I'm) leaving in the morning, if I have to ride the blind
Well, I've been mistreated and I swear, I don't mind dyin'.



 Blood In My Eyes

Woke up this morning, feeling blue
Seen a good looking girl, can I make love with you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
I got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.

I went back home, put on my tie
Gonna get that girl that money will buy
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
I got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.

She looked at me, begin to smile
Said, "Hey, hey, man, can't you wait a little while ?"
No, no babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
No, no babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.

No, no, ma'am, I can't wait
You got my money, now you're trying to break this date
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.

I'll tell you something, tell you the facts
You don't want to give my money back
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
I got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.



 Broke Down Engine

Feel like a broke down engine ain't got no drivin' wheel (2)
You all been down and lonesome, you know just how a poor man feels.

Been shooting craps and gambling, momma, and I done got broke (2)
I done pawned my pistol baby, my best clothes been sold.

Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lordy
Lordy Lord.

I went down in my praying ground, fell on my bended knees (2)
I ain't cryin' for no religion, Lord, give me back my good gal please.

(If you) give me back my baby, I won't worry you no more (2)
Don't have to put her in my house, Lordy, just lead her to my door.

Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lordy
Lordy Lord.

Can't you hear me baby, rappin' on your door?
Now you hear me tappin', tappin' across your floor.

Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no drive at all
What made me love my woman, she can really do the Georgia Crawl.

Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no whistle or bell (2)
If you're a real hot momma, come take away Daddy's weeping spell.



 Delia

Delia was a gambling girl, gambled all around
Delia was a gambling girl, she laid her money down.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia's dear ol' mother took a trip out West
When she returned, little Delia'd gone to rest.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia's Daddy weeped, Delia's momma moaned
Wouldn't have been so bad if the poor girl died at home.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Curtis's looking high, Curtis's looking low
He shot poor Delia down with a cruel forty-four.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

High upon the housetops, high as I can see
Looking for them rounders, looking out for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Men in Atlanta, trying to pass for white
Delia's in the graveyard, boys, six feet out of sight.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Judge says to Curtis, "What's this noise about ?"
"All about them rounders, Judge, tryin' to cut me out."
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Curtis said to the judge "What might be my fine?"
Judge says, "Poor boy, you got ninety-nine."
All the friends I ever had are gone

Curtis' in the jailhouse, drinking from an old tin cup
Delia's in the graveyard, she ain't gettin' up.
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia, oh Delia, how can it be?
You loved all them rounders, never did love me.'
All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia, oh Delia, how could it be ?
You wanted all them rounders, never had time for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.



  Stack-A-Lee

Hawlin Alley on a dark and drizzly night
Billy Lyons and Stack-A-Lee had one terrible fight
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Stack-A-Lee walked to the bar-room and he called for a glass of beer
Turned around to Billy Lyons, said "What you doin' here ?"
"Waitin' for a train to bring my woman home."

"Stack-A-Lee, oh Stack-A-Lee please don't take my life
Got three little children and a weepin', loving wife
You're a bad man, bad man Stack-A-Lee."

"God bless your children and I'll take care of your wife
You stole my John B., now I'm bound to take your life"
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Stack-A-Lee turned to Billy Lyons and shot him right through the head
Only taking one shot to kill Billy Lyons dead
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Sent for the doctor, well the doctor he did come
Just pointed out Stack-A-Lee, said, "Now what have you done ?"
You're a bad man, bad man Stack-A-Lee.

Six big horses and a rubber-tired hack
Taking him to the cemetery, but they failed to bring him back
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Hawlin Alley, thought I heard the bulldogs bark
It must have been old Stack-A-Lee stumbling in the dark
He's a bad man, gonna land him right back in jail.

High police walked on to Stack-A-Lee, he was lying fast asleep
High police catched Stack-A-Lee, and he jumped forty feet
He's a bad man, gonna land him right back in jail.

Well they got old Stack-A-Lee, and they led him right back in jail
Couldn't get a man around to go Stack-A-Lee's bail
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Stack-A-Lee turned to the jailer, he said "Jailer, I can't sleep
'Round my bedside Billy Lyons begin to creep"
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.



 Two Soldiers 

He was just a blue-eyed Boston boy
His voice was low with pain
"I'll do your bidding comrade mine
If I ride back again
But if you ride back and I am left
You'll do as much for me
Mother you know, must hear the news
So write to her tenderly."

"She's waiting at home like a patient saint
Her fond face pale with woe
Her heart will be broken when I am gone
I'll see her soon, I know"
Just then the order came to charge
For an instant hand touched hand
They said "Aye" and away they rode
That brave and devoted band.

Straight was the track to the top of the hill
The rebels they shot and shelled
Plowed furrows of death through the toilling ranks
And guarded them as they fell
There soon came a horrible dying yell
From heights that they could not gain
And those whom doom and death had spared
Rode slowly back again.

But among the dead that were left on the hill
Was the boy with the curly hair
The tall dark man who rode by his side
Lay dead beside him there
There's no one to write to the blue-eyed girl
The words that her lover had said
Momma, you know, awaits the news
And she'll only know he's dead.



 Jack-A-Roe

Oh, there was a wealthy merchant, in London he did dwell
He had a lovely daughter, the truth to you I'll tell
Oh, the truth to you I'll tell.

She had sweethearts a-plenty and men of high degree
There was none but Jackie Frazier, her true love e'er to bee
Oh, her true lover e'er to be.

"Oh daughter, oh daughter your body I will confine
If none but Jack the sailor, would ever suit your mind
Oh, would ever suit your mind."

"This body you may imprison, my heart you can't confine
There's none but Jack the Sailor would have this heart of mine
Oh, would have this heart of mine."

Now Jackie's gone a-sailing with trouble on his mind
To leave his native country and his darling girl behind
Oh, his darling girl behind.

She went into the tailor shop and dressed in men's array
Then she went into a vessel to convey herself away
Oh, convey herself away.

"Before you step on board, sir, your name I'd like to know"
She smiled all in her countenance, said, "They call me Jack-A-Roe"
Oh, they call me Jack-A-Roe.

"Your waist is light and slender, your fingers neat and small
Your cheeks too red and rosy for to face the cannonball"
Oh, to face the cannonball.

"I know my waist is slender and my fingers they are small
But it would not make me tremble for to see ten thousand fall"
Oh, to see ten thousand fall.

The war soon being over, they hunted all around
Among the dead and dying her darling love she found

Oh, her darling love she found.She picked him up all in her arms and carried him to town
And sent for her physician to quickly heal his wounds
Oh, to quickly heal his wounds.

This couple, they got married, so well they did agree
This couple they got married, so why not you and me
Oh, so why not you and me ?


 Lone Pilgrim (written by B.F. White and Adgar M. Pace)

I came to the place where the lone pilgrim lay
And patiently stood by his tomb
Went in a low whisper I heard something say:
How sweetly I sleep here alone.

The tempest may howl and the loud thunder roar
And gathering storms may arise
But calm is my feeling, at rest is my soul
The tears are all wiped from my eyes.

The call of my master compelled me from home
No kindred or relative nigh
I met the contagion and sank to the tomb
My soul flew to mansion on high.

Go tell my companion and children most dear
To weep not for me now I'm gone
The same hand that led me through seas most severe
Has kindly assisting me home.

 All The Tired Horses

All the tired horses in the sun
How am I supposed to get any riding done?


 Alberta #1  

Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low

Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind?
You keep me worried and bothered all of the time
Alberta, what's on your mind?

Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind?
Oh my heart is sad because I want you so bad
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind?

Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low


 I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know  

I forgot more than you'll ever know about her

You think you know the smile on her lips
The thrill and the touch of her fingertips
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her

You think you'll find heaven of bliss
In each caress, in each tender kiss
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her

You stole her love from me one day
You didn't care, oh, it hurt me
But you can never steal away memories of what used to be

You think she's yours, to have and to hold
Someday you'll learn, when her love grows cold
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her


 Days Of 49  

I'm old Tom Moore from the bummer's shore in that good old golden days
They call me a bummer and a ginsot too, but what cares I for praise?
I wander around from town to town just like a roving sign
And all the people say: There goes Tom Moore, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49

My comrades they all loved me well, a jolly saucy crew
A few hard cases I will recall though they all were brave and true
Whatever the pitch they never would flinch, they never would fret or whine
Like good old bricks they stood the kicks in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49

There was New York Jake, the butcher boy, he was always getting tight
And every time that he'd get full he was spoiling for a fight
But Jake rampaged against a knife in the hands of old Bob Stein
And over Jake they held a wake in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49

There was Poker Bill, one of the boys who was always in a game
Whether he lost or whether he won, to him it was always the same
He would ante up and draw his cards and he would you go a hateful blind
In the game with death Bill lost his breath, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49

There was Ragshag Bill from Buffalo, I never will forget
He would roar all day and he'd roar all night and I guess he's roaring yet
One day he fell in a prospect hole, in a roaring bad design
And in that hole he roared out his soul, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49

Of the comrades all that I've had, there's none that's left to boast
And I'm left alone in my misery like some poor wandering ghost
And I pass by from town to town, they call me a rambling sign:
There goes Tom Moore, a bummer shore in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49


 Early Morning Rain  

In the early morning rain with a dollar in my hand
And an aching in my heart and my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home and I miss my loved one so
In the early morning rain with nowhere to go

Cut on runway number nine, big 707 set to go
I'm stuck here on the ground, where the cold winds blow
The liquor tasted good and the women all were fast
There she goes, my friend, she's rolling down at last

Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver bird on high
She's away and westward bound, far above the clouds she'll fly
Where the morning rain don't fall and the sun always shines
She'll be flying over my home in about three hours time

This old airport's got me down, it's no earthly good to me
Because I'm stuck here on the ground, cold and drunks as I might be
You can't hop a jet plane like you can a freight train
So I'd best be on my way in the early morning rain


 In Search Of Little Sadie

Went out last night just to take a little round
I get my little Sadie and I brought her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head

I begin to think of what a deed I'd done
I grabbed my hat and I began to run
I made a good run but I ran too slow
They overtake me down in Jericho

Standing on a corner as he's ringing my bell
Up stepped the sherrif of Thomasville
He said: Young man, is you name Brown?
Remember you blowed little Sadie down?

Oh yes sir, my name is Lee
I murdered little Sadie in first degree
First degree and second degree
If you've got any papers, will you serve 'em to me?

Well they took me downtown and they dressed me in black
They put me on a train and they sent me back
I had no one for to go my bail
They crammed me back into the crowded jail
Oh yes, they did

The judge and the jury they took their stand
The judge had the papers in his right hand
Forty-one days, forty-one nights, forty-one years
To wear the ball and the stripes
Oh no.

I went out last night to take a little round
I met my little Sadie and I blowed her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head



 Let It Be Me  

I bless the day I found you
I want my arms around you
And so I beg you: Let it be me

Don't take this heaven from one
If you must cling someone
Now and forever, let it be me

Each time we meet, love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love, what would life be?

So never leave me lonely
Tell me that you love me only
And say you'll always let it be me


 Little Sadie  

Went out last night just to take a little round
I get my little Sadie and I brought her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head

Went out last night just to take a little round
I get my little Sadie and I brought her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head

I begin to think of what a deed I'd done
I grabbed my hat and I began to run
I made a good run but I ran too slow
They overtake me down in Jericho

Standing on a corner as he's ringing my bell
Up stepped the sherrif of Thomasville
He said: Young man, is you name Brown?
Remember you blowed little Sadie down?

Oh yes sir, my name is Lee
I murdered little Sadie in first degree
First degree and second degree
If you've got any papers, will you serve 'em to me?

Well they took me downtown and they dressed me in black
They put me on a train and they sent me back
I had no one for to go my bail
They crammed me back into the crowded jail

Well, the judge and the jury they took their stand
The judge had the papers in his right hand
Forty-one days, forty-one nights, forty-one years
To wear the ball and the stripes



 Belle Isle  

One evening for pleasure I rambled to view
The fair fields all alone
Down by the banks of Loch Eiron
Where beauty and pleasure were known

I spied a fair maid at her labour
Which caused me to stay for a while
And I thought of a goddess to beauty
Bloomin' bright star of Bright Isle

I humbled myself to her beauty:
Fair maiden, where do you belong?
Are you from heaven descended
Abiding in Cupid's fair throne?

Young man, I will tell you a secret
It's true I'm a maid that is poor
And to part from my vows and my promise
Is more than my heart can endure

Therefore I remain at my service
And go through all my hardship and toil
And wait for the lad that has left me
All alone on the banks of Belle Isle

Young maiden, I wish not to banter
It's true I come here in disguise
I came here to fulfill our last promise
And hope to give you a surprise

I've known you're a maid I love dearly
And you've been in my heart all the while
For me there is no other damsel
Than my bloomin' bright star of Belle Isle



 Living The Blues  

Since you've been gone
I've been walking around
With my head bowed down to my shoes
I've been living the blues every night without you

I don't have to go far
To know where you are
Strangers all give me the news
I've been living the blues every night without you

I think that it's best
I soon get some rest
And forget my pride, but I can't deny
This feeling that I carry for you deep down inside

If you'd see me this way
You'd come back and you'd stay
Oh, how could you refuse?
I've been living the blues every night without you.

I think that it's best
I soon get some rest
And forget my pride, but I can't deny
This feeling that I carry for you deep down inside.

If you'd see me this way
You'd come back and you'd stay
Oh, how could you refuse?
I've been living the blues every night without you


 Copper Kettle  

Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil
Fill it with new made corn mash and never more you'll toil
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them just a-filling in the pale moonlight

Build you a fire with hickory, hickory, ash and oak
Don't use no green or rotten wood, they'll get you by the smoke
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them just a-filling in the pale moonlight

My daddy he made whiskey, my granddaddy he did too
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them just a-filling in the pale moonlight


 Gotta Travel On  

Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
Summer's almost gone, winter's coming on
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
And it seems like I've got to travel on (2)

Papa writes to Johnny: Johnny, can't you come home?
Johnny, can't you come home? (2)
Papa writes to Johnny: Johnny, can't you come home?
Johnny's been out on the road too long

Done laid around, done stayed around
This old town too long (2)
And it seems like I've got to travel on
And it seems like I've got to travel on

That silly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way
Going home to stay, going home to stay (2)
That silly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way
And I feel like I just want to travel on

There's a lonesome freight at 6.08 coming through the town
I'll be homeward bound, I'll be homeward bound (2)
There's a lonesome freight at 6.08 coming through the town
And I feel like I just want to travel on


 Blue Moon
transpose to D

Blue (C)moon(Am)
(Dm)You saw me (G)standing a(C)lone(Am)
(Dm)Without a (G)dream in my (C)heart(Am)
(Dm)Without a (G)love of my (C)own (Am - Dm)

Blue (C)moon, (Am)
(Dm)You knew just (G)what I was (C)there for(Am)
(Dm)You heard me (G)saying a (C)prayer for(Am)
(Dm)Someone (G)I really could (C)care for (Am - Dm - G)

And (Dm)suddenly (G)there appeared be(C)fore me (Am)
The (Dm)only one my (G)arms could ever (C)hold
(Fm)I heard someone (Bb)whisper: Please, a(Eb)dore me
And (G)when I looked my (D)moon had turned to (G)gold

Blue (C)moon(Am)
(Dm)Now I'm no (G)longer a(C)lone(Am)
(Dm)Without a (G)dream in my (C)heart(Am)
(Dm)Without a (G)love of my (C)own(Am - Dm - G -)


 The Boxer  

(C)I'm just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom (Am)told
I have (G)scattered my resistance
For a pocketful of (C)mumbles
Such are promises, all lies and (Am)jest
Still a (G)man hears what he (F)wants to hear
And disregards the (C)rest (G - C)

When I (C)left my home and family
I was no more than a (Am)boy
In the (G)company of strangers
In the (Dm)quiet of the (C)railway station
Running scared, laying (Am)low
Seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people (C)go
Looking (G)for the places (F)only (G)they would (C)know

Asking (C)only workman's wages
I come looking for a (Am)job
But I get no (G)offers
Just a come-on from the (C)whores
On Seventh Avenue, I do de(Am)clare
There were (G)times when I was (F)so lonesome
I took some comfort (C)there

Then I'm (C)laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was (Am)gone, going (G)home
Where the New York City winters
Aren't (C)bleeding me, (Am)leading me
Going (G)home

In the (C)clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his (Am)trade
And he (G)carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
And (C)cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his (Am)shame:
I am (G)leaving, I am (F)leaving
But the fighter still re(C)mains (G - C)


 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)  

Everybody's building the big ships and boats
Some are building monuments, others jotting down notes
Everybody's in despair, every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here everybody's gonna jump for joy

Oh come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn

Oh you know I like to do just like the rest
You know I like my sugar sweet but guarding fumes and making haste
You know it ain't my cup of meat
Everybody's out the trees, feeding pigeons all under the limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here the pigeons gonna run to him

A cat's meow and a cow's moo to you know I, I could recite them all
Just tell me where it hurts you, honey, and I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get asleep, there's someone on everybody's toes
When Quinn the Eskimo gets here everybody's gonna want to doze


 Take Me As I Am

Why must you always try to make me over?
Take me as I am or let me go
White lilies never grow on stalks of clover
Take me as I am or let me go

You're trying to reshape me in a moment
In the image of someone you used to know
I won't be a stand-in for an old love
Take me as I am or let me go

You've tried to change me ever since you've met me
Take me as I am or let me go
If you cannot overlook my faults, forget me
Take me as I am or let me go

You're trying to reshape me in a mould love
In the image of someone you used to know
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love
Take me as I am or let me go


 Take A Message To Mary  

These are the words of a frontier lad
Who lost his love when he turned bad

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her where I am
Take a message to Mary
But don't say I'm in jail
You can tell her that I had to see the world
Tell her that my ship set sail
You can say she'd better not wait for me
But don't tell her I'm in jail, oh don't tell her I'm in jail

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her what I've done
Please, don't mention the stage coach
And the shot from a carried gun
You better tell her that I had to change my plans
And cancel out the wedding-day
But please, don't mention the lonely cell
Where I'm gonna pine away, until my dying-day

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her all you know
My heart is aching for Mary
Lord knows I miss her so
Just tell her that I went to Timbuktoo
Tell her I was searching for gold
You can say she better find someone new
To cherish and to hold, oh Lord, this cell is so cold



 It Hurts Me Too  

So run here baby, put your little hands in mine
I've got something to tell you
I know you're gonna change your mind
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too

I want you, baby, just to understand
I don't wanna be your boss, baby
I just wanna be your man
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too

Now when you go home, you don't have to get along
Come back to me, baby
Where I live that's where you belong
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too

I love you baby, and you know that it's true
I wouldn't mistreat you, baby
Nothing in this world is like you
Yes, when things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too

So run here baby, put your little hands in mine
I've got something to tell you, baby
I know you're gonna change your mind
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
Don't you know, really, don't you know it hurts me too



 Minstrel Boy  

Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?
Who's gonna let it roll?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?
Who's gonna let it down easy to save his soul?

Oh look, he's driving a long, long time
There he still sits on top of the hill
Well aching and jumping with all laid down
With all of them ladies you know he's lonely still
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?
Who's gonna let it roll?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?
Who's gonna let it down easy to save his soul?

Well knee deep in number, heavy in toil
Mighty mockingbird he still has such a heavy load
Beneath his boundaries but more if I can tell
With all of these travelling but I'm still on that road
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?
Who's gonna let it roll?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?
Who's gonna let it down easy to save his soul?


 Alberta #2

Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low
Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind?
You keep me worried and bothered all of the time
Alberta, what's on your mind?
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind?
My heart is so sad because I want you so bad
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind?
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low