I went to the jail house and fell on my knees,
The first thing I noticed was a big pan of peas.
The peas was hard and the bacon was fat;
Says, your oughter seen the niggers that was grabbin’ at that.
Refrain.
Oh, Lord, Baby, take a look at me!
Brandy, whisky, Devil’s Island gin,
Doctor said it would kill him, but he didn’t tell him when.
Refrain.
Oh, Lord, Baby, take a look at me!
DON’T YOU LEAVE ME HERE.
Don’t you leave me here, don’t you leave me here,
For if you leave me here, babe, they’ll arrest me sure.
They’ll arrest me sure.
For if you leave me here, babe, they’ll arrest me sure.
Don’t leave me here, don’t leave me here,
For if you leave me here, you’ll leave a dime for beer.
Why don’t you be like me, why don’t you be like me?
Quit drinking whisky, babe, let the cocaine be.
It’s a mean man that won’t treat his woman right.
The following is a tragedy in nine acts:
FRANKIE.
Frankie was a good girl, as everybody knows,
She paid a hundred dollars for Albert a suit of clothes;
He was her man, babe, but she shot him down.
Frankie went to the bar-keeper’s to get a bottle of beer;
She says to the bar-keeper: “Has my living babe been here?”
He was her man, babe, but he done her wrong.
The bar-keeper says to Frankie: “I ain’t going to tell you no lie,
Albert passed ’long here walking about an hour ago with a nigger named Alkali.”
He was her man, babe, but he done her wrong.
Frankie went to Albert’s house; she didn’t go for fun;
For, underneath her apron was a blue-barrel 41.
He was her man, babe, but he done her wrong.
When Frankie got to Albert’s house, she didn’t say a word,
But she cut down upon poor Albert just like he was a bird.
He was her man, babe, but she shot him down.
When Frankie left Albert’s house, she lit out in a run,
For, underneath her apron was a smoking 41.
He was her man, babe, but he done her wrong.
“Roll me over, doctor, roll me over slow,
Cause, when you rolls me over, them bullets hurt me so;
I was her man, babe, but she shot me down.”
Frankie went to the church house and fell upon her knees,
Crying “Lord ’a’ mercy, won’t you give my heart some ease?
He was my man, babe, but I shot him down.”
Rubber-tired buggy, decorated hack,
They took him to the graveyard, but they couldn’t bring him back.
He was her man, babe, but he done her wrong.
And, once more, the female of the species was more deadly than the male.