Old Joe Clark, Lyric Variant 02, Copy

Warning: Item contains racist language. This item is part of the I. G. Greer Folksong Collection which consists of more than 300 individual song titles and their variants as collected by Isaac Garfield Greer (1881-1967) from informants, primarily in Ashe, Wilkes and Watauga counties. The collection includes manuscripts, typescript transcriptions produced by Dr. Greer’s clerical staff, and handwritten musical notations. Songs range from traditional Child Ballads, traditional English and Scottish ballads as well as their American variants, to 19th century popular music to musical compositions of local origin.

Folk songs--United States

Marriage--Songs and music

Poverty--Songs and music

Farewells--Songs and music

Old Joe Clark, Old Joe Clarke

AC.113 Isaac Garfield (I.G.) Greer Papers and Recordings

W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Appalachian State University

Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield), 1881-1967

PDF

English

Text

Old Joe Clark

I aint got no money
Got no place to stay,
Got no place to lay my head
While the chickens are crowing for day.

Chorus:

Farewell, Ole Joe Clark
Goodbye, Betty Brown
Farewell, Ole Joe Clark
I’m goin’ to leave this town.

I went down to Dina’s house,
She met me at the door,
Shoes and stockings in her hand,
Feet all over the floor.

I would not marry an old maid,
I’ll tell you the reason why,
Her nose is always drippin
Her chin is never dry.

I went down to Joe Clark’s house,
I had never been there before,
He slept on the old straw bed
And I slept on the floor.

I asked my girl to marry me,
And what do you suppose she said?
There’s plenty of time to marry you
When all the rest is dead.

I wish I had a nickle,
I wish I had a dime.
I wish I had a pretty little miss
To kiss and call her mine.

Somebody stole my ole coon dog.
I wish they’d bring him back.
He run the big nigger over the fence
And the little ‘un through the crack.

Somebody stole my ole blue hen.
I wish they’d a let her be.
She laid two eggs on every day
And Sunday she laid three.

Brown, Play-Party and Dance Songs - 86 Randolph, 533 Combs, 223 Sharp, 183

113_OldJoeClark_Lyric_02_copy