The version with which I am most familiar is by Koerner, Ray, and Glover, and it sounds like Eloise. However, I am taken by Dick's suggestion. No doubt KR&G listened to a lot of Lead Belly (and he is likely the source for this song), but it does get hard sometimes to understand Lead when he sings. "See, Eloise, goin' linin' track' does not make much sense and most work songs were not overly obscure in their thoughts. I guess I'll go back to Lead Belly's version and see what I can hear.

One of the pains of learning from recordings is that different people hear different things, often rendering an entirely different meaning. For instance, let me go through harpgirl's version of Linin' Track and place beside it my own understanding from the same recording.

Mary and the baby's sittin in the shade [Mary and the baby's sittin' in the shade]
thinkin all the mutha's I ain't made Thinkin' on the money that I ain't made]
been on the river 19 and 10 [Oughta been on the the river 19 and 10]
but ah hadn't got a women like a drivin man [Buddy Russell drove the women like he drove the men]
If I could I surely would [If I could I surely would]
stand on the rock where Moses stood [Stand on the rock where Moses stood]
You keep talkin about ta break a head [You keep talkin' 'bout the break ahead]
ain't said nuthin bout my hawg an bread [Ain't said nothin' 'bout my hog and bread]
All I hate about linin track [All I hate about linin' track]
These ole boys about to break may back [These old bars about to bust my back]

Harpgirl, I'm not picking on you, because I truly don't know what the "right" words are. I just wanted to point out how honestly different lyrics can be heard from the same recording.

Sometime recently I went to a web site that had an index of "Misunderstood" lyrics to pop songs. Some were quite humorous, some were not credible.

Roger in Baltimore