Leadbelly - Leadbelly ARC & Library of Congress Recordings Vol. 2 (1935) (2005) by Leadbelly (보컬) on maniadb.com

Bill Martin he was long an' slender,
Better known by bein' a bartender.
Bill Martin he was long an' slender,
Better known by bein' a bartender.

Bill Martin he was a man whut had a very small hand
He worked ev'y night at de coffee stand.
Bill Martin he was a man whut had a very small hand
He worked ev'y night at de coffee stand.

He walked out for to borrow a gun'
Something Bill Martin had never done.
Ella Speed was downtown havin' her lovin' fun,
Long came Bill Martin wid his Colt 41.

De fust ball it entered in po' Ella's side,
De nex' ball entered in her breas',
De third ball it entered in her head;
Dat's de ball dat put po' Ella to bed.

All de young gals eome a-runnin'an'cryin',
All de young gals come a-runnin'an'a-cryin',
"It ain' but de one thing worry de po' gal's min'-
She lef' her two lil boys behin'."

De deed dat Bill Martin done'
Jedge sentence: "You gonna be hung."
De deed dat Bill Martin done'
Jedge sentence: "You gonna be hung."

They taken Bill Martin to de freight depot,
An' de train come rollin' by,
He wave his han' at de woman dat he love
An' he hung down his head an' he cry.

All you young girls better take heed'
Don' you do like po' Ella Speed;
Some day you will go for to have a lil fun
An'a man will do you like Bill Martin done.

Frankie was a good woman,
As everybody knows,
She did all the work around the house
And pressed her Albert's clothes.
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Albert was a yeller man,
Coal-black curly hair.
Everybody up in St. Louis
Thought he was a millionaire--
He was my son, and the only one.

Miss Frankie went to the barroom,
Called for a bottle of beer,
Says to the bartender:
"Has Mister Albert been here?
He is my man, and he's doin' me wrong."

Frankie and Albert were lovers,
Oh, my God how they did love!
Just like sisters and brothers,
The whore and her turtle dove,
For he was her man, but she shot him down.

The bartender says to Miss Frankie:
"I cannot tell a lie;
Mister Albert was here about a minute ago
With a gal name Alkali,
He is your man, but he's doin' you wrong."

Little Frankie went down the Broadway
With her razor in her hand,
Says "Stand aside, you chippie.
I'm lookin' for my man,
He's a gamblin' man, won't treat me right."

Miss Frankie went up the stairway,
She didn't go for fun;
Underneath the ruffles of her petticoat,
She had a young Gatlin' gun.
He was her man an' he was doin' her wrong.

Miss Frankie opened the winder,
The gun she fired twice;
The second shot she fired,
She took Mister Albert's life--
He was her man, but he was doin' her wrong.

Well, when Frankie shot Albert,
First, he fell to his knees,
Then he looked up in her face,
Says, "Frankie, please don't shoot me no mo',
Please, babe, don't shoot me no mo'."

She shot three bullets in him,
He staggered to the door,
He gasped, "Oh, Frankie, you can't play 'round,
'Round this hop joint any more.
I was your man, but I done you wrong.

"Turn me over, Frankie,
Turn me over slow,
Turn me over easy on my left side
So my heart won't overflow
And kill me dead, and kill me dead."

Took po' Albert to the graveyard,
Stuck him in the ground,
Frankie, she was singin',
"I shot the sucker down--
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

The people says to Frankie,
"Little Frankie, why don't you run?
Yonder comes the Chief Police
With a smokeless 44 gun.
You killed your man, wouldn't treat you right."

"Well," says Miss Frankie,
I don't care if I die,
Take and hang me to a telegraph pole,
Hang me good and high--
He was my man but he done me wrong."

Little Frankie went down Broadway
As far as she could see,
And all she could hear was a two-string bow,
Playing, "Nearer, My God To Thee"--
All over the town, little Albert's dead.

Frankie went to Albert's mother,
Fell across her knees,
Said: "I'm sorry I killed your son,
Won't you excuse me please?
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

"I will forgive you, Frankie,
I will forgive you not.
You sho' shot Albert,
He's the only son I got,
He was my son, and the only one."

Frankie says to the sheriff,
"Well, what do you think it'll be?"
The sheriff said: "It looks like a case
Of murder in the first degree;
He was your man, but you shot him down."

It was not murder in the first degree,
It was not murder in the third,
A woman simply dropped her man
Like a hunter drops a bird.
He was her man, but she shot him down.

Frankie said to the sheriff,
"Oh, what do you think they'll do?"
"Strap you in the 'lectric chair,
'N' send thirty thousand volts through you.
Albert was your man, but you shot him down."

Passin' through the jail house,
Went by Frankie's cell,
Asked her how she was feelin',
She said, "Go to Hell."
He was her man, but she shot him down.

Once more I saw Frankie,
She was sittin' in her chair,
Waitin' for to go an' meet her God,
With the sweat drippin' out her hair.
Albert was her man, but she shot him down.

Took Frankie to the graveyard
And stuck her in the ground,
Now all that's left of Frankie
Is a wooden cross and mound.
He was her man- both dead and gone.

Two little pieces of crape,
Hangin' on the door,
Show that lovin' Albert
Ain't lovin' Albert no more.
Frankie shot her man, who was doin' her wrong.

Frankie was a good woman,
As everybody knows,
She did all the work around the house
And pressed her Albert's clothes.
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Albert was a yeller man,
Coal-black curly hair.
Everybody up in St. Louis
Thought he was a millionaire--
He was my son, and the only one.

Miss Frankie went to the barroom,
Called for a bottle of beer,
Says to the bartender:
"Has Mister Albert been here?
He is my man, and he's doin' me wrong."

Frankie and Albert were lovers,
Oh, my God how they did love!
Just like sisters and brothers,
The whore and her turtle dove,
For he was her man, but she shot him down.

The bartender says to Miss Frankie:
"I cannot tell a lie;
Mister Albert was here about a minute ago
With a gal name Alkali,
He is your man, but he's doin' you wrong."

Little Frankie went down the Broadway
With her razor in her hand,
Says "Stand aside, you chippie.
I'm lookin' for my man,
He's a gamblin' man, won't treat me right."

Miss Frankie went up the stairway,
She didn't go for fun;
Underneath the ruffles of her petticoat,
She had a young Gatlin' gun.
He was her man an' he was doin' her wrong.

Miss Frankie opened the winder,
The gun she fired twice;
The second shot she fired,
She took Mister Albert's life--
He was her man, but he was doin' her wrong.

Well, when Frankie shot Albert,
First, he fell to his knees,
Then he looked up in her face,
Says, "Frankie, please don't shoot me no mo',
Please, babe, don't shoot me no mo'."

She shot three bullets in him,
He staggered to the door,
He gasped, "Oh, Frankie, you can't play 'round,
'Round this hop joint any more.
I was your man, but I done you wrong.

"Turn me over, Frankie,
Turn me over slow,
Turn me over easy on my left side
So my heart won't overflow
And kill me dead, and kill me dead."

Took po' Albert to the graveyard,
Stuck him in the ground,
Frankie, she was singin',
"I shot the sucker down--
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

The people says to Frankie,
"Little Frankie, why don't you run?
Yonder comes the Chief Police
With a smokeless 44 gun.
You killed your man, wouldn't treat you right."

"Well," says Miss Frankie,
I don't care if I die,
Take and hang me to a telegraph pole,
Hang me good and high--
He was my man but he done me wrong."

Little Frankie went down Broadway
As far as she could see,
And all she could hear was a two-string bow,
Playing, "Nearer, My God To Thee"--
All over the town, little Albert's dead.

Frankie went to Albert's mother,
Fell across her knees,
Said: "I'm sorry I killed your son,
Won't you excuse me please?
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

"I will forgive you, Frankie,
I will forgive you not.
You sho' shot Albert,
He's the only son I got,
He was my son, and the only one."

Frankie says to the sheriff,
"Well, what do you think it'll be?"
The sheriff said: "It looks like a case
Of murder in the first degree;
He was your man, but you shot him down."

It was not murder in the first degree,
It was not murder in the third,
A woman simply dropped her man
Like a hunter drops a bird.
He was her man, but she shot him down.

Frankie said to the sheriff,
"Oh, what do you think they'll do?"
"Strap you in the 'lectric chair,
'N' send thirty thousand volts through you.
Albert was your man, but you shot him down."

Passin' through the jail house,
Went by Frankie's cell,
Asked her how she was feelin',
She said, "Go to Hell."
He was her man, but she shot him down.

Once more I saw Frankie,
She was sittin' in her chair,
Waitin' for to go an' meet her God,
With the sweat drippin' out her hair.
Albert was her man, but she shot him down.

Took Frankie to the graveyard
And stuck her in the ground,
Now all that's left of Frankie
Is a wooden cross and mound.
He was her man- both dead and gone.

Two little pieces of crape,
Hangin' on the door,
Show that lovin' Albert
Ain't lovin' Albert no more.
Frankie shot her man, who was doin' her wrong.

Yonder comes Miss Rosie. How in the world do you know?
Well, I know her by the apron and the dress she wore.
Umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand,
Well, I'm callin' that Captain, "Turn a-loose my man."

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me.
Oh let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me.

When you gets up in the morning, when that big bell ring.
You go marching to the table, you meet the same old thing.
Knife and fork are on the table, ain't nothing in my pan.
And if you say a thing about it, you have a trouble with the man.

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me.
Oh let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me.

If you ever go to Houston, boy, you better walk right,
And you better not squabble and you better not fight.
Benson Crocker will arrest you, Jimmy Boone will take you down.
You can bet your bottom dollar that you're Sugarland bound.

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me.
Oh let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me.

Well, jumping Little Judy, she was a mighty fine girl.
She brought jumping to this whole round world.
Well, she brought it in the morning just a while before day.
Well, she brought me the news that my wife was dead.
That started me to grieving, whooping, hollering, and crying.
And I began to worry about my very long time.

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me.
Oh let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me.

When I was a cowboy
Out on the western plains
When I was a cowboy
Out on the western plains
I made a half a million
Pullin' on the bridle reins

Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah

I went to my girl's house
She's sittin' d'ere alone
Went to my girl's house
She's sittin' d'ere alone
I'm a poor western cowboy
A long way from home

Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah

When I left my girl's house
She was rockin' in her rockin' chair
When I left my girl's house
She was rockin' in her rockin' chair
Poor western cowboy
Please don't you leave me here

Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah

Went to my girl's house
Sitting deep down in my saddle
Went to my girl's house
Sitting deep down in my saddle
I'm the best western cowboy
That ever herd cattle

Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah

Oh, de hardest battle
Was there ever on the western plains
Oh, de hardest battle
Was there ever on the western plains
When me an a bunch of cowboys
Run into Jesse James

Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah

Me an a bunch of cowboys
Run into Jesse James
Me an a bunch of cowboys
Run into Jesse James
All the bullets was a-fallin'
Just like a shower rain

Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah

Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna go?
Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna go?
Gon see the ranges
On the range in *Buffalo

Come a cow ki--yicky
Cow, cow, yicky-yicky-yea

Take de hardest battle
Was there ever on Bunker Hill
Oh, de hardest battle
Was there ever on Bunker Hill
When me an' a bunch of cowboys
Run into Buffalo Bill

Come a cow ki--yicky
Cow, cow, yicky-yicky-yea

Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna hear?
Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna hear?
O'vr nineteen hundred
Bullets around your ear

Come a cow ki--yicky
Cow, cow, yicky-yicky-yeah.

Now, he jumped on the Pea
This is a man, he's seventy-five years old and leaves home
When he leaves home he stay away three long years
Then he come a-rackin back
And while he was gone he had two little chillen
Lil boy an a lil girl, wife at home

Wife lies down an she dreams tonight
That husband was comin' back
She sit up on the side the bed one night
She 'gan to sing, here what she said

Dreamed last night and all night, night befo'
Lord, I dreamed last night and all night, night befo'
She dreamed last night and-a all night, night befo'

Little boy jumped up and go in to his mama
Said mama, said, 'What did you dream?
Here what she says
'Heard your papa, knockin' on my do'
Thought I heard your papa knockin' on my do'
Heard your papa, knockin' on my do'

She asked 'fore she would take him back
And she was a good Christian
She told her preacher, said
'I wouldn't take him back when he comes'

But when he calmly walks to the do' to commence
Knocks on his do' and commence to cryin'

Cryin' babe, have I ever done you wrong?
Lordy cried, my babe have I ever done you wrong?
Lovin' babe, have I ever done you wrong?
You know good 'n well, I'd had to have done wrong
Been gone three long years and never wrote a speck
Sent her a nickel of money

And he sit down a'gin an cry a'gin
Ya'll he said

Ever I have honey, will you forgive me, please?
Lord, ever have, will you forgive me , please?
Ever I have Lord, will you forgive me, please?

Girl, she wouldn't take him back
When she heard him singin' out there
She walked through the do'
With her hands a-high in the air
And she looked up to the God in the sky
Here what she says

You's a long time comin'
A-honey but you will come here
You's a long time comin'
A-hon but you will come here
You's a long time comin'
Baby, but you will come here

She sit down an tol her little boy
His wife says, I want son to play the piano a piece
Since you been gone so long
Let him know what he's done learned
Since you been gone

And the little boy sit down, begin to play
His little piano a piece
(guitar sound piano)

She sit down, she commence to cryin'
Lordy, have mercy on me
Oh Lord-y, have mercy on me
Oh, someday another
Lord, I may be free

She had her another piece, little girl
She told her little girl
Get on the piano and play her piece
But the last piece, the little girl comes out
And kept playin' this.