Classic Poem

Wake up mama
turn your lamp down lo-ow
Wake up mama
turn your lamp down low
Have you got the nerve to drive Papa McTell from your door?

My mother died and left me reckless,
My daddy died and left me wild wild wild
Mother died and left me reckless,
Daddy died and left me wild wild wild
Lord I'm not good looking, but I'm some sweet woman's angel child.

She's a mighty mean woman
do me this-a-way
She's a mighty mean woman
do me this-a-way
When I leave this time, pretty mama, I'm going away to stay.

I once loved a woman
better than I'd ever seen
I once loved a woman
better than I'd ever seen
Treated me like I was a king and she was a doggone queen.
Sister tell your brother
Brother tell your aunt
Now auntie tell your uncle
Uncle tell my cousin
Now cousin tell my friend
Going up the country:
mama, don't you want to go?
May take me a fair brown—I may take one or two more.

Big Eighty left Savannah
lord, it did not stop
You oughta saw that colored fireman when he got that boiler hot
You can
reach over in the corner, mama, and hand me my traveling shoes
You know by that I've got them Statesboro blues.
Papa—
Sister got 'em
Auntie got 'em
Brother got 'em
Friend got 'em
I got 'em
I woke up this morning
I had them Statesboro blues
I looked over in the corner: grandma and grandpa had 'em too.