Digital Tradition Mirror

The Rich Old Lady

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

The Rich Old Lady

Once I knowed old lady
Round Tennessee did dwell
She had a lovin' husband
But she loved other mens as well

cho: Love my darlin' O
     Love my darlin' O

"I'm goin' down to the doctor's shop
Just as straight as I can go.
See if I can't find sumpen 'round that place
That'll run my husband blind.

She only found two marrowbones
An' she told them to eat them all
An says, "Now I'm blind my dear young wife
An' I jes' can't see at all."

"Honey, I would go and drown myself
If I only knew the way."
Says," Now my dear come and go with me
Mother's fraid you'll run astray."

Goes way down by the riverside
For to see her old man drown.
"My dear kind wife, I cannot drown
Unless you shove me in."

She gits way back, takes a little runnin' start
Gonna shove her old man in;
Old man jumps just a little to one side
And a-headlong she jumps in.

She whoops and she hollers
Just as loud as any woman could squall;
Old man knows his sweet wife's dyin'
An' cannot see at all.

Ol' man bein' so kind-hearted
Knowin' too his sweet wife could not swim,
Reahed right down and git a long pole
And he shoves her further in.

Come all you young, hasty women
An' take warnin' after me,
Don't never try to drown a po' old man
That's blind so he cannot see.

From Our Singing Country, Lomax.
Collected from Iron Head (James Baker), Sugarland TX 1934
Laws Q2
DT #334
RG
apr97

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!