Cocaine Blues (cc:Hughes)
Billy Hughes, King 636 (78rpm)
recorded 14 Feb 1947, Hollywood CA, by Billy Hughes & His Buckaroos (the Buckaroos not credited on the release label). Lyrics are a rewrite of the more familiar "Cocaine Blues" to which T J Arnall takes CC; musically, the same, with the (rit) in the last line. Probably did OK in juke joints, but I wonder how much airplay this got. It's my favorite version of the song family.

Come home from work in that old Tulsa town
Caught my baby triflin' and I shot her down.
I went to bed but I rolled all night
I knew I had to beat it, before daylight.

'Bout 4 o'clock someone knocked on my door
I grabbed my pistol and I fell to the floor.
I heard a man calling my baby's name
I opened up the door and I blew out his brains.

When I realized the thing I had done
I grabbed my hypodermic and I made my run.
I made a good start but I run too slow
They got me in a dive down in El Paso.

I'm sittin' at a table, blowin' the stick,
The plainclothes grabbed me and he got me quick
"Don't try to tell us your name is Brown.
You're the Cocaine Kid that shot your woman down."

I knew they had me solid, with no alibi,
It wouldn't help me any if I told a lie.
I said "I'm the Kid, and I'm beat, you see,
So if you got a warrant, just read it to me."

He said, "You shot your woman, and a rounder, too,
They might have had it comin' but it's bad for you."
Well, I said, "I'm no angel, and I'm full of sin,
But under those conditions I would do it again."

When I was arrested, I was dressed in blue
They handcuffed me and throwed me on an old choo-choo.
I didn't have a nickel, couldn't make a bail,
So they shook me down and throwed me in that old dirty jail.

Jury walked out, and then they walked back in,
The foreman held a verdict in his right hand.
Ninety-nine years, 'way down in Mac,
Made me regret the night I wouldn't take her back.

Now, listen, all you dopers, take my advice
Don't ever use a needle any more than twice.
Or you'll become an addict, and blow your lid,
Take a look at what it did to the Cocaine Kid.