I have listened to Blind Blake's version on YouTube, and there are a few words I hear differently than in Alanon's version posted above.


HE'S IN THE JAILHOUSE NOW
(As sung by Blind Blake)

Remember last election?
Ev'rybody was in action
Tryin' to find themselves a president.
There was a man named Lawson,
From New York down to Boston,
Representin' the colored people we have sent.
My brother was a voter,
Also a great promoter,
Goin' round givin' advice.
They* go down to the poll an' vote.
[He seems to skip a line here. It should rhyme with "vote."]
'Stead of voting once we* voted twice.

He's in the jailhouse now.
He's in the jailhouse now.
We got him downtown in jail,
No one to go his bail.
He's in the jailhouse now.

I went downtown that Friday.
I met a gal named Lidy. [Diminutive of "Lida"]
I thought she was the swellest gal in town.
She start to call me honey.
I start to spendin' money.
We went into a café and set down.
I thought that I was in it,
Buyin' a drink a minute,
Buyin' wine, shampeen [=champagne] by the doz'. [Short for "dozen"]
When I went to pay that man,
I found that lady's hand
In my pocket where my money was. They got her!

She's in the graveyard now.
She's in the graveyard now.
When I went to pay that man,
I found that old gal' hand.
She's in the jailhouse now.

She's in the jailhouse now.
She's in the jailhouse now.
When I went to pay that man,
I found that lady's hand.
She's in the jailhouse now.


[* "He" would make more sense, but "they" and "we" are what I think I hear.

[It seems odd that he switches from "graveyard" to "jailhouse" in the second chorus, which makes no sense. (How could she be both in the graveyard and in the jailhouse?) My theory is that he was accustomed to singing an additional verse where someone ended in the graveyard, but he had to omit that verse to fit the song on a 78 rpm record, and got confused while trying to sing his shortened version. I wonder how many songs have been altered in this way, and how many verses have been lost?]