Van Ronk's "Cocaine" - In the early sixties, Van Ronk did a pretty typical rendition of Cocaine with the verses we've all heard before. In 1983 or 1984, he released an album that had been recorded in a one night session in England. He had obviously come to see that cocaine was not something to be glamorized and included this version. The words are from my best recollection, but don't quote me.

Everytime me and my woman go uptown
Police come and they knock me down
(spoken) Yeah, I know it seems far-fetched

Yonder comes my baby, dressed in red
Says she's gonna get a shotgun and shoot me dead
(spoken)Ah, but it won't hurt a bit. My strength is the strength of 10, for I am pure

Yeah baby, come here quick
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick
Cocaine, run all 'round my brain

I was walking down Beale Street, turning up Main
Lookin' for that gal that sells cocaine
(spoken)Kill 2 birds with one stone, as it were

Now if your woman says that you ain't treatin' her right
Just take a snort of coke and turn out the light
(spoken)Makes you feel like Superman - at least for the first five minutes - from there on in it's her problem

Come here baby, come here quick
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick
Cocaine, run all 'round my brain

Went to bed last night singing a song
Woke up this morning and my nose was gone
(Spoken) Well I guess you can't have everything

There is no problem so great
That you can't run away from it,yeah

Cocaine is for horses, not for men
They tell me it will kill me but they won't say when
Cocaine, run all 'round my brain

Yeah pretty baby won't you come here quick
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick
Cocaine, run all 'round my brain