—James A. Bland, 1880
I got high and landed in jail ( x3 )
Had no one for to go my bail,
My sins they have overtaken me.*
Chorus:
Hand me down my walking cane ( x3 )
I'm gonna leave on the midnight train,
My sins they have overtaken me.
Well the beans was tough and the meat was fat ( x3 )
Oh good God I couldn't eat that
My sins they have overtaken me.
Come on mama, and go my bail ( x3 )
And get me out of this Nashville jail
My sins they have overtaken me.
Well if I die in Tennessee ( x3 )
Ship my bones back C.O.D.
My sins they have overtaken me.
Hand me down my bottle of corn ( x3 )
I'll get drunk as sure as you're born,
My sins they have overtaken me.
If I'd a listened what Mama said ( x3 )
I'd be sleepin' in a feather bed
My sins they have overtaken me.
Hand me down my walking cane (x3)
I'm a gonna leave on the morning train
My sins they have overtaken me.
*or All my sins are taken away, taken away.
Chorus & Verse:
| I | I | V | I |
| IV | I | I – V | I |