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Lyr Add: The Widow Jones + Widder Jones

25 Feb 11 - 04:21 PM (#3102799)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Blackland Farmer (Frankie Miller)
From: GUEST,Guest, D.R.

About this same time in 1961 a song was out titled "Widow Jones" or "Downtown Dallas" don't know which, mostly local Fort Worth/Dallas play about a woman who became a widow and owned downtown Dallas. Anyone remember it?

26 May 11 - 10:38 PM (#3161144)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Blackland Farmer (Frankie Miller)
From: GUEST,Katherine

I have been on a constant search for this song all I can remember is Widow Jones, drinking wine and then sittin in down town dallas can you tell me the name of the song and who sang it please

16 Jun 11 - 01:51 AM (#3171286)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Blackland Farmer (Frankie Miller)
From: GUEST,Jutta

.....
widow Jones went into town and started drinking some wine
she told the strangers all around the bar that she was all alone
and that she'd give her land to the very first man that would take her home
the next morning found a tall dark stranger looking over his new land
.....(can't remember this part)
he went back inside and told widow Jones she'd made a fool about him
...
that's what I can remember

I am looking for the same Katherine, who was the singer and what's the name of the song
Please? does anybody know

20 Jun 11 - 12:35 PM (#3173363)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE WIDOW JONES (Tom T. Hall)
From: Jim Dixon

This is probably NOT the song that was wanted, but since I found it, and had to listen to it to eliminate it, I figured I might as well post it.

My transcription from the video at YouTube:


THE WIDOW JONES
Words and music by Tom T. Hall
As sung by Jeannie C. Riley on her album "Harper Valley P.T.A." (1968).

Ask any young man in this town who is over thirteen
To tell you about the things and places he's seen.
If he tells you something about women you haven't known,
You can attribute his knowledge of anatomy to Widow Jones.

CHORUS: Well, Jonesie was a go-go girl a little while before she married Sam.
He fell into the River Jones; he said that's water over the dam.
He said we ought to leave these matters to the good discretion of the law,
But when you have a shape like Widow Jones, you have a lot of friends at City Hall.

Well, I don't bring her up because I think we should put her down.
I just want to shed some light on the truth in this town.
These boys'll learn things they couldn't have learned in our schools,
And their parents can relax knowin' that they're not all out a-shootin' pool.

CHORUS
Yeah, the widow's got a lot of friends at City Hall.


[This song sounds like a "spin-off" from the song HARPER VALLEY P.T.A., which contains the line: "And shouldn't Widow Jones be told to keep her window shades all pulled completely down?" The tunes are very similar.]

20 Jun 11 - 01:11 PM (#3173382)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE BALLAD OF WIDDER JONES (Loudermilk)
From: Jim Dixon

This almost certainly IS the song that was wanted by the first 3 posters to this thread.

Lyrics copied from a John D Loudermilk discography web site:


THE BALLAD OF WIDDER JONES (AND HER 25 ACRES OF SAND)
Words & music by John D Loudermilk,
©1961 Acuff-Rose Publ. Inc.
Recorded by George Hamilton IV, 1961.

When Ben Jones fell under Yankee lead, Ben Jones left a widder,
A lovely thing just turned eighteen who couldn't help but be bitter.
He didn't leave her nothing but a cabin and some vittles and some old back taxes
And twenty-five acres of sandy soil in the middle of Texas.

Now Widder Jones says, "Benny's gone, and it ain't no use in me cryin'."
So Widder Jones went into town and started drinkin' some wine.
She told the strangers all around the bar that she was all alone,
And that she'd give her land to the very first man who would take her home.

Well, the next morning found a tall dark stranger lookin' over his new land,
Said, "What good is twenty-five scrawny acres when you can't get grass to stand?"
He went back inside and told the Widder Jones she'd made a fool out of him,
And he laid widder Jones' dying bones 'neath her twenty-five acres of sand.

Now a hundred years has come and gone and Widder Jones is forgotten.
The tall dark stranger died in chains in San Quentin's dark bottom,
But poor fools they let hearts be ruled by passion, greed and malice,
'Cause today that twenty-five acres of sand is settin' in the middle of Dallas,
Is settin' in downtown Dallas.

(Source: Standard Songs Pop/ Country/ Blues/ Folk/ Instrumentals/ Novelty, Acuff-Rose Publications Inc. 1956-1973)

[Anybody know—is there any truth to this story?—JD]