I can't lay my hands on my copy right now, but I believe there are lyrics in the Lomax book. His first verse went:

Old buck done baulk and old Tom won't pull,
Papa gonna cut that other li'l bull.
Whoa, back and gee by the Lamb!
Who made the backband, whoa goddamn.

Leadbelly is the guy who sang it. A backband is a piece of harness.