Author: Jim

Dark as a Dungeon

Jim,

—Merle Travis

Come and listen, young fellers, so young and so fine
And seek not your fortune in the dark dreary mines
It will form as a habit and seep in your soul
'Til the stream of your blood runs as black as the coal

Chorus:
Where it's dark as a dungeon and damp as the dew
Where the dangers are double and the pleasures are few
Where the rain never falls and the sun never shines
It's dark as a dungeon way down in the mines

There's many a man who I've known in my day
Who lived just to labor his whole life away
Like a fiend with his dope or a drunkard his wine
A man will have lust for the lure of the mines

Well I hope when I'm gone and the ages shall roll
My body will blacken and turn into coal
Then I'll look from the door of my heavenly home
And pity the miner that's digging my bones

Verse:

|: I I IV V
I I IV I :|

Chorus:

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

 

Daddy's Gone To Knoxville

Jim,

—Mark Knopfler

Oh, you're gonna miss your daddy when he's gone, when he's gone
Yeah, you're gonna miss your daddy when he's gone, when he's gone
Daddy's gone down that Gallatin road
The hen never laid and the corn never growed
Oh, you're gonna miss your daddy when he's gone

Oh, I'd rather have a dollar than a dime, than a dime
Yeah, I'd rather have a dollar than a dime, than a dime
Daddy's gone down that Crossville track
If he can't make a dollar then he ain't comin' back
Oh, I'd rather have a dollar than a dime

Oh, you better love your daddy while you can, while you can
Yeah, you better love your daddy while you can, while you can
Daddy's gone south on the Natchez trace
If the can't show the money then he don't show his face
Oh, you'd better love your daddy while you can

Oh, your daddy's gone to Knoxville now, Knoxville now
Yeah, your daddy's gone to Knoxville now, Knoxville now
Daddy's gone down that Knoxville road
The dog never barked and the cock never crowed
Oh, your daddy's gone to Knoxville now

Verse:

I I IV I
I I II V
I III IV IVm#
I-VI II V I

 

Cumberland Gap

Jim,

—Spencer & Rains:

Come on boys lets take a little nap
We'll all go down to the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap
We'll all go down to the Cumberland Gap

Cumberland Gap is a mighty fine place,
There's streams of whiskey to wash your face
Lay down boys and take your ease
Gonna have a battle with the ticks and fleas.

Refrain:
Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap
We'll all go down to the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap
We'll all go down to the Cumberland Gap

Well ox to the wagon and everything's packed
We'll all go down to the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap, oh Cumberland Gap
We'll all go down to the Cumberland Gap

When I die I'll make my will
I want to be buried on a Cumberland hill,
Cumberland Gap is now my home
Gonna leave old Cumberland alone.

Refrain

Verse:

|: I I – vi vi I :|

Refrain:

vi I IV vi
vi I IV V – I

 

Crying Holy

Jim,

Chorus:
Crying holy unto the Lord
Crying holy unto the Lord
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where Moses stood

Lord I ain't no stranger now
Lord I ain't no stranger now
I've been introduced to the Father and the Son
Lord I ain't no stranger now

Sinners run hide your face
Sinners run hide your face
Sinners run to the Lord and hide your face
Lord cried out "No hiding place"

Chorus and Verse:

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

 

Cry, Cry Darling

Jim,

—J.D. Miller and Jimmy C. Newman

Cry, cry darling, that's what I'll do
If you should leave me with the blues
Cry, cry darling, that's all I do
cause you're the one that's in my heart

Chorus 1:
For me there'll be no moonlight
If ever we should part
Cry, cry darling, that's all I do
Cause you're the one that's in my heart

Cry, cry darling, my eyes will cry
and never dry if you should go
Cry cry darling, when shadows creep
I'll just weep all night I know

Chorus 2:
You know how much I'd miss you
If ever we should part
Cry, cry darling, that's all I do
cause you're the one that's in my heart

¾

Verse:

I I7 IV IV
I I V V7
I I7 IV IV
I V I I

Chorus:

V V I I
II II V V7
I I IV IV
I V I I

Cripple Creek

Jim,

I got a gal at the head of the creek,
I'm goin' up to see her the middle of the week.

Chorus:
Goin' up Cripple Creek goin' in a run
Goin' up Cripple Creek to have some fun.
Goin' up Cripple Creek, goin' in a whirl
Goin' up Cripple Creek to see my girl

I got a girl and she loves me, she's as sweet as sweet can be
She's got eyes of baby blue, all my love for her is true.

Kiss her on the mouth just as sweet as any wine,
She wraps herself around me like a sweet potato vine.

Now the girls up Cripple Creek 'bout half grown,
Jump on a man like a dog on a bone.

Roll my britches up to my knees,
And wade old Cripple Creek when I please.

Cripple Creek's wide and Cripple Creek's deep,
Gonna wade old Cripple Creek before I sleep.

Hills are steep and the road is muddy,
And I'm so drunk I can't stand steady.

I went down to Cripple Creek,
To see what all them gals had to eat.

What they cooked I couldn't eat at all,
Harder than a brick in the wall.

Got so drunk I fell against the wall,
Old corn likker was the cause of it all.

Verse:

I IV – I I V – I

Chorus:

I I I V – I  :|

 


Crawdad Song

Jim,

You get a line and I'll get a pole honey
You get line and I'll get a pole babe
You get a line I'll get a pole
We'll go down to the crawdad hole
Honey baby mine

Yonder comes a man with a sack on his back ( x3 )
He's got more crawdads than he could pack
Honey baby mine

Man fell down and he burst his sack ( x3 )
You oughta see the crawdad backin' back
Honey baby mine

What you gonna do when the pond's gone dry honey ( x3 )
Sit on the bank watch the crawdads die
Honey baby mine

Sit on the bank til my feet get cold honey ( x3 )
We'll go down yo the crawdad hole
Honey, sugar baby mine

Hurry up babe, you slept too late, honey ( x3 )
The crawdad man done passed your gate
Honey, babe of mine

Sell your crawdads three for a dime, honey ( x3 )
Your crawdads ain't good as mine
Honey, babe of mine

I heard the duck say to the drake, honey ( x3 )
Ain't no crawdads in this lake
Honey, babe of mine

There's a little bitty baby, nine days old, honey ( x3 )
Stuck his finger in a crawdad hole
Honey, babe of mine

There's a little bitty baby, nine days old, honey ( x3 )
Stuck his finger in a crawdad hole
Honey, babe of mine

Verse:

I I I V
I IV I – V I

 



Corn Liquor

Jim,

—Buck Owens

Well when I was a little bitty boy no bigger than an old polecat
Well I used to wonder like all kids what made this do that

Now I'd seen what happened to my pa when he'd take a drink from a jug
Yeah he'd start with a smile and then after awhile he'd be out on the floor like rug

Chorus:
Corn liquor (corn liquor) corn liquor (corn liquor) what makes you do what you do
Well they feel no pain when you touch their brain corn liquor they love you

Well now one day in the afternoon my folks were away for awhile
Yeah I got the jug down from the shelf to see what made 'em smile

Now I slowly sipped in then nearly flipped that one drink was enough
For the life of me I just can't see why they love that awful stuff

Well as I grew older I thought about that first sip that I had
Yeah I really burned but soon I learned it wasn't all that bad

Now to ease the pressures of this world here's the way I've got it figured
Well the thing to do for me and you is drink lotsa good corn liquor

Yeah I feel no pain when you touch my brain corn liquor I love you

Verse:

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

Chorus:

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

 

Coney Isle

Jim,

—Roscoe Holcomb

Just out on the mountain sitting on a log,
Finger on the trigger and an eye on a hog,
I'm on my way, I'm going back to Coney Isle.

I pulled the trigger and the gun says zip,
Jumped on the hog with all of my grip,
I'm on my way, I'm going back to Coney Isle.

It's hello Sal, I know you,
The one old slipper and a run down shoe,
I'm on my way, I'm going back to Coney Isle.

Now talk about a people having a devil of a time,
Eating up the chicken and a drinking the wine,
I'm on my way, I'm going back to Coney Isle.

Said, I went down to the Turkish feast
People was eatin' like big wild geese
I'm on my way, I'm goin' back, Coney Isle

Bake that flapjack, bake him brown
Swing them flapjacks around, around
I'm on my way, I'm goin' back, Coney Isle

Make that featherbed and make it up a-right
Old Miner Brown are gonna stay all night
I'm on my way, I'm goin' back, Coney Isle

Makes no difference how the time may be
Everything in the world sure suits me
I'm on my way, I'm goin' back, Coney Isle

When I get ready to leave this Earth
I look a-back, say my money's worth
I'm on my way, I'm goin' back, Coney Isle

Verse, approximately:

VI VI II II V
V V I I I

 


Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies

Jim,

Come all ye fair and tender ladies.
Be careful how you court young men.
They're like a star on a summer's morning.
They'll first appear and then they're gone.

They'll tell you some loving story
They'll declare to you their love is true
Then they will go and court some other
And that's the love they have for you

Do you remember our days of courting
When your head lay upon my breast
You could make me believe with falling of your arm
That the sun rose in the West

I wish I was a little sparrow,
And I had wings with which to fly
Right over to see my false true-lover,
And when he's talking I'd be nigh.

But I'm not a little sparrow,
I have no wings with which to fly
So I sit here in grief and sorrow,
To weep and pass my troubles by.

If I had known before I courted
that love was such a killing thing
I'd a-locked my heart in a box of golden
and fastened it up with a silver pin.

Verse:

I I I I
I I V V
IIm IIm I I
IIm IIm I I