THE BANKS OF THE OHIO never happened, KNOXVILLE GIRL did. Why does everyone sing the last two lines to Knoxville girl to where they don' rhyme when if you change the location of two words, it does rhyme. Fer Goodness sake, sing the last verse:

They carried me down to Knoxville and put me in the jail.
My friends all tried to get me out but none could go my bail.

I'm doomed to spend my life away down in this dirty old cell
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl, the girl I loved so well.

Then there's Leadbelly's ELLA SPEED:

I
Come (Bm7) on and pay (Em) heed,
Let’s re- (A7) member the death of old Ella Speed.
REPEAT. (Note repeat each line twice.)
II
Ella Speed was downtown. she was havin' her lovin' fun.
Let me tell you what Bill Martin done.
III
The deed that Bill Martin done,
It was first degree murder with a Colt .41.
IV
Bill Martin he was tall and slender,
Better known for being a bartender.
V
They arrested Bill Martin and they took him down to the jail,
And the judge said, “Bill Martin, I'll never fail.”
VI
“The deed, Bill Martin, that you done,
You sinner, you know your gonna be hung.”
VII
When the women all heard that Ella Speed was dead,
All goin' back home and re-rag in red.
VIII
Come on and pay heed.
Let me tell you about the death of old Ella Speed.

And how about, HANG DOWN YOUR HEAD AND CRY, POOR BOY. or does it only count when the murderee is a woman?

HTML line breaks & punctuation added. --JoeClone, 22-Apr-02.