Taneytown

INTRO:

I went down to Taneytown

I went down to Taneytown

To see what I could see

My mama told me never go

I'm damn near 22 years old

Sometimes I feel this holler swallow me

She ran off to Gettysburg

Went off with that new beau of hers

I snuck off after dark

It's a long way down the county road

The stars were bright and the moon was low

Down to where the black top highway starts

I went down to Taneytown

I went down to Taneytown

I went down to see what I could see

Now everybody stared at me

You'd think that they ain't never seen

A colored boy before

Well they jumped at me and they called me names

And they whoopped me sure but the sheriff came

I slipped off ran through the dry goods store

Now I ran down Division Street

And some of them boys followed me

Down to the railroad track

Well there was four of them and I can't fight

But I got my old Randall knife

I cut that boy and I never did look back

I went down to Taneytown

I went down to Taneytown

I went down to see what I could see

Across the fields and woods I run

Like a bullet from a rabbit gun

Back home to my bed

Now Ma come in from Gettysburg

Her and that new beau of hers

Boy you look like hell is all she said

A month went by without a word

Somebody down the holler heard

`Bout that boy they hung

He begged those men to spare his life

But I dropped my bloody Randall knife

He picked it up so they thought he was the one

I went down to Taneytown

I went down to Taneytown

I ain't going back there anymore