I have an album of Carolyn Hester from ca. 1961 on which she sings "Blackjack Oak," which is a very haunting ballad. There are a few words that I cannot clearly understand in the lyrics and I wondered if someone has an authoritative (i.e., not just guessed) lyric sheet and, perhaps, the chords.

Also, the song is a bit cryptic and I wondered if someone knows any background on the song.

E.g, the song says "I must live in the blackjack oak till my child can have a name," and then later says, "He's gonna act like a hound let loose when he comes from that blackjack tree, and he's gonna walk in wild shoes all over Tennessee." These lyrics suggest but don't spell out an intriguing story. Maybe one of you knows the story.

Genie