Old Joe Clark

Cat. #0892 (MFH #489) - As sung by Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on August 29, 1969

VERSE 1
I went down to ole Joe Clark's
He was sick in th bed
Run my finger down his throat
Pulled out a chicken's head

VERSE 2
Old Joe Clark's a fine old man
Hope he's do'in well
Made me wear th ball an' chains
Till my ankles swell

VERSE 3
Old Joe Clark had a cat
Could neither sing nor pray
Stuck its tail in th buttermilk jar
Washed its sins away

VERSE 4
Ole Joe Clark had a house
Sixteen stories high
Every story in that house
Lined with chicken pie

(Ollie tells one of her stories)

Variants