I got this from American Ballads and Folk Songs (John & Alan Lomax, 1934). I like the note - it says it came from a "tongue-tied Negro convict at Parchman, Mississippi." This is one heck of an interesting song. It's certainly the same song as the "Little Sadie" that's in the Digital Tradition, but it has lots of juicy verses not in the DT version.
-Joe Offer-

---

BAD MAN BALLAD

Late las' night I was a-makin' my rounds,
Met my woman an' I blowed her down,
Went on home an' I went to bed,
Put my hand cannon right under my head.

Early nex' mornin' 'bout de risin' o' de sun,
I gets up-a for to make-a my run.
I made a good run but I made it too slow,
Got overtaken in Mexico.

Standin' on de corno', readin' of a bill,
Up step a man name o' Bad Texas Bill:
"Look here, bully, am' yo' name Lee Brown?
B'lieve you are de rascal shot yo' woman down."

"Yes, oh, yes," says. "This is him.
If you got a warrant, jes' read it to me."
He says: "You look like a fellow that knows what's bes'
Come 'long wid me—you're under arres'."

When I was arrested, I was dressed in black;
Dey put me on a train, an' dey brought me back.
Dey boun' me down in de county jail;
Couldn' get a human for to go my bail.

Early nex' mornin' 'bout half pas' nine,
I spied ol' jedge drappin' down de line.
I heered ol' jailer when he cleared his th'oat,
"Nigger, git ready for de deestreec' cote."

Deestreec' cote is now regin,
Twelve big jurymen, twelve hones' men.
Five mo' minutes up step a man,
He was holdin' my verdic' in his right han'.

Verdic' read murder in de firs' degree.
I said, "O Lawd, have mercy on me."
I seed ol' jedge when he picked up his pen,
Say, "I don' think you'll ever kill a woman ag'in.

"This here kuhn' of women natchly got to stop,
I don't know whether to hang you er not.
Ninety-nine years on de hard, hard groun',
'Member de night you blowed de woman down."

Here I is, bowed down in shame,
I got a number instead of a name.
Here for de res' of my nachul life,
An' all I ever done is kill my wife.

        * * *

I went up-a in Tennessee,
Two lil' womens got stuck on me,
One was name Sal and the other name Sue,
They was a-hustlin' an' I was too.

Oh, dey beat me up an' dey beat me down,
Oh, dey beat me up-a an' dey beat me down,
Oh, dey beat me up an' dey beat me down,
Betcha five dollars dey cain' beat me to town.

---

Click to play