Here is the Leadbelly version:

I asked your mother for you
She told me you were too young
I wish to god I'd never seen your face
I wish that 'eed never been born

CHO:
Good night Irene, good night
Good night Irene
Good night Irene
Good night Irene
I'll get you in my dreams

Sometimes I lives in the Country
Sometimes I live in town
Sometimes I has a great notion
To jump into the river and drown

Cho

Stop ramblin' and stop gamblin
Stop stayin' out late at night
Go home to your wife and your family
Sit down by the fireside bright

Cho

I love my Irene
Love 'er till the sea runs dry
An' if Irene turns her back on me
I gonna take morphine and die

That is the version done in the so-called "Last sessions". There are several other ones he did for Moses Ashe.

When the Weavers made their popular version they cleaned it up a bit. The replaced some of the repetitious "Goodnight Irene"s with "Irene Goodnight"s. they changed "get you in my dreams" to "see you in my dreams", and they changed "morphine" to "poison". Otherwise, I think the above is the version your grandfather would have sung.

Also, It seems that Leadbelly was trying to "improve" his thick southern accent and he alternats his natural pronounciation with the one he thought he should use, so when I say "sometimes I lives in the country" but "sometimes I live in town"--that is the way I hear it.

Murray