There's a man going round town, taking names.

My father's Uncle REV. JESSE WEBSTER, who lived and died in Crowley, LA said that he was told that this was a song MADE UP BY SLAVES. These SLAVES made up the song after the WHITE PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES (who used to visit plantations during the time of slavery) TAUGHT THE SLAVES the Bible story of the JEWISH PASSOVER, that old story about how THE ANGEL OF DEATH killed the FIRSTBORN in the EGYPTIAN households UNTIL PHAROAH, the Egyptian King, gave the order to release and free the Jews.

The SLAVES sang on a rhythm: THERE'S A MAN - - - GOIN' ROUND TOWN - - - TAKIN' NAMES - - - (Repeat) TOOK MY PAPA'S NAME, LEFT MY HEART IN PAIN, THERE'S A MAN - - - GOIN' ROUND TOWN - - - TAKIN' NAMES..

That was the EXACT MELODY AND RHYTHM used by RAY CHARLES when he wrote:
I GOT A WOMAN - - - WAY OVER TOWN - - - GOOD TO ME - - - .

The song is INCREDIBLY CLEVER, considering it was made up by ILLITERATE BLACK SLAVES who LIVED THEIR ENTIRE LIVES on, say 1,000 acres of land. Think of how clever and economical the song is.

Some say LEADBELLY started singing the song first. MAYBE. But I'm now 84 YEARS OLD, and I heard this song song MANY TIMES BEFORE AND DURING CHURCH as far back as 1935 at ST JOSEPH and JERUSALEM baptist churches in Crowley, Louisiana.

I believe this church was circulated IN THE BLACK PROTESTANT CHURCHES, well before the turn of the 20th Century.