Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
GUEST,Bari Origins: History on Frankie and Johnny (29) RE: Origins: History on Frankie and Johnny 16 Aug 25


For the record, here's what I transcribed:

Frankie & Albert
by Bill Dooley 1899 and Palmer Jones 1908

1: Frankie was a good woman, everybody knows.
She’d give the tailor a hundred dollar bill to make her man a suit of clothes.
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

2: Frankie went down to the barroom and called for a glass of gin.
She asked the man called the bartender, "Has my cheatin’ man been in?
He’s my man. I believe he’s doin’ me wrong."

3: "Well Frankie, I’ll tell you no story. Good gal, I’ll tell you no lie.
I saw your man pass an hour ago, with a girl called Alice Pry.
He’s your man. I believe he’s doin’ you wrong.”

4: Frankie went back to the crib house. This time she didn’t go for fun.
Under her pillow on the bed, she drew out Albert’s gun
To kill her man, cause he done her wrong.

5: Now when Albert he saw Frankie, the poor boy started to run.
She says, “You might as well stop, you son of a bitch, I’m shootin’ you with your own gun.
Because you was my man, but you done me wrong.”

6: “Turn me over, Frankie, turn me over slow.
Turn me over on my left side, baby, your bullet has wounded me so.
I was your man, but I done you wrong.

7: Now the cops they got Frankie and put her in a cell.
The very first word I heard her say: “I wonder will my man get well.
I love my man, though he done me wrong.”

8: The judge he says to Frankie, “Here you stand before me.
We’ve got you charged with an awful crime, murder in the first degree.
You shot your man, cause he done you wrong.”

9: Frankie says, “Judge, I’m sorry this thing has come to pass.
I never shot him in the first degree, I shot him in his trifling ass,
Cause he done me wrong, cause he done me wrong.

10: The jury went out on Frankie and sat under an electric fan,
Came back and said, “You’re a free woman, go kill yourself another man,
If he does you wrong, if he does you wrong.”

11: Frankie went to Albert’s mother, and she fell down on her knees.
She cried, “Mother, mother, forgive me, oh oh won’t you please!
He was your son, and the only one.”

12: Mother says, “Frankie, I forgive you, but forget it I cannot.
You killed my one and only son, the only support I got.
He was my son, and the only one.”

13: Frankie went to the graveyard and fell down on her knees.
She prayed to the good lord, to give poor Albert ease,
Because he was her man, now he’s dead and gone.


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.