—Blind Alfred Reed

We know young men are bold and free
Beware o take care
They'll tell you they're friends but they're false you see
Beware o take care

Chorus:
Be-ware young ladies they're foolin' you
Trust them not they're foolin' you
Be-ware young ladies they're foolin' you
Beware o take care

They smoke, they chew, they wear fine shoes
Beware o take care
And in their pockets is a bottle of booze
Beware o take care

Chorus

Around their necks they wear a guard
Beware o take care
And in their pocket is a deck of cards
Beware o take care

Chorus

They put their hands up to their hearts
They sigh oh they sigh
They say they love no one but you
They lie oh they lie

Chorus

Verse:

I	I	V	I
I	I	V	I

Chorus:

/I*	IV	I	V	I
/I*	IV	I	V	I

*extra half measure!

 

—Georgia Yellow Hammers

(same tune as Two Dollar Bill, a.k.a. Long Journey Home)

Looked out at the window
What do you reckon I see
What do you reckon I see boys
And what do you reckon I see
Looked out at the window
What do you reckon I see
The high sherrif is right after me

Before I'd be arrested
I'd fight him at my door
Fight him at my door boys
I'd fight him at my door
Before I'd be arrested
I'd fight him at my door
Nobody to go my bond

Yonder comes my sweetheart
With a ten dollar bill
Ten dollar bill boys
Ten dollar bill
Yonder comes my sweetheart
With a ten dollar bill
She's going to go with me

There's a big ball in Memphis
And I'm bound to go
I'm bound to go boys
I'm bound to go
There's a big ball in Memphis
And I'm bound to go
Nobody to go with me

I hopped out of the window
And tore down the blind
Tore down the blind boys
Tore down the blind
I hopped out of the window
And tore down the blind
Doggone my rowdy times

I	I	I	I
IV	IV	IV	I
I	I	I	I
V	V	I	I

 

—Fred Cockerham/Tommy Jarrell

Yonder comes a rabbit,
Skippin' through the sand,
Zip that rabbit, he don't mind,
Fry him in my pan, Lord
I'll fry him in my pan.

Chorus:
Big-eyed rabbit's gone, gone
Big-eyed rabbit's gone. (X2)

Yonder comes a rabbit,
Hard as he can run,
Yonder comes another one,
I'll shoot him with a double-barrel gun, gun
Shoot him with a double-barrel gun.

Yonder comes my darlin',
Just how do I know?
Tell by her pretty blue eyes,
Shinein' bright like gold, gold
Shinein' bright like gold.

Chorus:
I'm a rockin' in a weary land, land
Rockin' in a weary land. (X2)

Verse:

I	I	I	IV
IV	I	I	V
V	I

Chorus:

|: I

V

V

I :|

 

—Charlie Poole

Bill Mason was an engineer
He'd been on the road all of his life
I'll never forget the morning
He married himself a wife

Bill hadn't been married more than an hour
'till up came a message from Kress
And ordered Bill to come down
And bring out the night express

While Maggie sat by the window
A waiting for the night express
And if she hadn't a done so
She'd have been a widow, I guess

There was some drunken rascals
That come down by the ridge
They come down by the railroad
And tore off the rail from the bridge

Well, Maggie heard them working
I guess there's something wrong
In less than fifteen minutes
Bill's train would be along

She couldn't come near to tell it
A mile it wouldn't've done
She just grabbed up the lantern
And made for the bridge alone

By Jove, Bill saw the signal
And stopped the night express
And found his Maggie crying
On the track in her wedding dress

Her crying and laughing for joy
Still holding on to the light
He came around the curve a-flying
Bill Mason's on time tonight

I	I	IV	I
I	I	II	V
I	I	IV	I
I	I	V	I

 

—Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers

I'm going down to Birmingham my darling
I'm going down to Birmingham my darling
I'm going down to Birmingham
Shoes and stockings in my hand
Sweet pea

Cow and dog they both were dead this morning
Cow and dog they both were dead this morning
Cow and dog they both were dead
Rode that devil to the promised land
This morning

Bully in town don't come alone this morning
Bully in town don't come alone this morning
Bully in town don't come alone
Walked all the way to the valley lo
This morning

This one's crooked!

I	I	I
I	I	I
I	I	IV	IV
I	I

—Charlie Poole

Little sweetheart, we have parted
From each other we must go
Many miles may separate us
From this world and care and woe

But I treasure of the promise
That you made me in the lane
When you said we'd be together
When the roses bloom again

Now this parting gives us sorrow
Oh, it almost breaks my heart
But say, darling, will you love me
When we meet no more to part?

Down among the budded roses
I am nothing but a stem
I have parted from my darling
Never more to meet again

Will this parting be forever?
Will there be no coming day
When our hearts will be united
And all troubles pass away?

Darling, meet me up in heaven
That's my true and earnest prayer
If you loved me here on earth, dear
I am sure you'll love me there

All:

I	I	V	V
V	V	I	I
IV	IV	I	I
V	V	I	I

 

—Leake County Revelers

I been to the east and been to the west, and I been to Alabama
Prettiest little gal I ever did see, lives down in Louziana

I been to the east and been to the west, and I been to Alabama
All the man give me for to eat was the leg of a yellow hammer
(alt: Toughest piece of meat I ever tried to eat was the back of a yellow hammer)

Prettiest little gal I ever did see, lived in Alabama
You wanna know her name, what her name must be, her name was Suzianna

Been to the east, been to the west, been to Alabama
Prettiest little gal I ever did see, lives in Alabama

Verse:

I	I	I-V	I
I	I	I-V	I  :|

Chorus (instrumental):

I	V	V	IV
IV	IV	IV – V	I

Notation:

 

—a.k.a. Buffalo Gals

As I was walking down the street
Down the street, down the street
I had some gal I chanced to meet
Oh she was fair to view

Chorus:
Alabama gals woncha come out tonight
Come out tonight, come out tonight
Alabama woncha come out tonight
And we'll  dance by the light of the moon

I asked her if she'd stop and talk
Stop and talk, stop and talk
Her feet covered up the whole sidewalk
She was fair to view

I asked her if she'd stop and dance
Have a dance, care to dance
I thought that I might get a chance
To shake a foot with her

I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin'
And her heel kep a-rockin' and her toe kep a-knockin'
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin'
And we danced by the light of the moon.

Lots more verses:

I gotta a gal with a wart on her chin
Nose turned out, eyes turned in
Shes a pretty good gal for the shape shes in
Tell me if your comin' out tonite

My gal lives at the top of the hill
Top of the hill, top of the hill
Shes the moonshiners daughter but I love her still
Tell me if your comin' out tonite

O yes pretty boys we're comin' out tonight
We're comin' out tonight were comin' out tonight
O yes pretty boys we're comin' out tonight
To dance by the light of the moon.

My gal lives at the top of the hill
Top of the hill, top of the hill
It's a long way to walk but I love her still
Tell me if your comin' out tonite

I'll give you half a dollar if you'll come out tonite
Come out tonite, come out tonite
I'll give you half a dollar if you'll come out tonite
And dance by the light of the moon

Verse:

I	I	V	I
I	I	V	I

 

—Georgia Yellow Hammers

I used to have a pocket full of money, But it's all gone now
I used to get drunk and feel mighty funny, But it's all gone now
I had a gal that I called mine, Said she liked me mighty fine
I used to go see her and have a big time, But it's all gone now

Refrain:
Well it's all gone now, it's all gone now
I lost all my money in a crooked crap game, gal I love is another guy's name
The whiskeys all drunk up now, oh what a shame, But it's all gone now

I had a dog that believed in fighting, But it's all gone now
When he fought he enjoyed the fighting, But it's all gone now
Well he never was whipped in any fight, he'd whip a dog it was an awful sight,
If a dog was able, he would run with all his might, But it's all gone now

Refrain:
Well it's all gone now, it's all gone now,
My dog was walking right along down the trail, I slipped upon him just as easy as a snail
Grabbed my dog by the end of the tail, and it's all gone now

I had a car that was a built for speeding, but it's all gone now
I let my gal steer it while I done feeding, but it's all gone now
She run it into a telephone pole, wrapped it up like a jelly roll,
She's in the hospital and i'm in the hole, and it's all gone now

Refrain:
Well it's all gone now, it's all gone now
I saw that she was headed for the ditch, I reached over and cut off the switch,
Hit that pole, that son of a gun, and it's all gone now

Verse:

I	I	V	I
I	I	II	V
I	I	IV	IV
I	I	V	I

Refrain::

I	I	V	I
IV	I	II	V
I	IV-I	I-V	I

 

—Stephen Foster, but with way different lyrics

Angeline the baker
Her age is twenty-three
Feed her candy by the peck
But she won't marry me

Tell how I took Angeline
Down to the county fair
Her father chased me halfway home
And told me to stay there

Angeline the baker
Angeline I say,
Caused me to weep, caused me to mourn
Caused me to beat the jawbone

Angeline the baker
She lived on the village green
And the way that I love her
Beats all to be seen

Angeline the baker
Her age is forty-three,
Little children round her feet
And a banjo on her knee

Father was a baker
They called him Uncle Sam,
I never can forget her
Unless I take a dram

Angeline the baker
Left me here alone,
Left me here to weep a tear
And play on the old jawbone

Sixteen horses in my team
The leader he was blind,
Came close to dying
They sold my Angeline.

Verse

I	I	I	IV
I	I	I-IV	I