Prisoner Song

Cat. #0672 (MFH #521) - As sung by Max Hunter, Springfield, Missouri on February 7, 1969

VERSE 1
O, meet me to-night, lover meet me
O, meet me tonight all alone
For I have a sad story to tell you
Must be told in th moonlight alone

VERSE 2
I am goin' to a new jail, to-morrow
An' leave my poor darl'in alone
With th cold prison bars all around me
And my head on a pillow of stone

VERSE 3
Your Father an' Mother don't like me
Or they never would have drove me from their door
If I had my life to live over
I would never go there any more

VERSE 4
O, I wish I had never been born
Or had died when I was young
I would never have saw your sweet face
Or heard your lie'n tongue

VERSE 5
If I had a-minded my Mother
I would had been with her today
But I was young an' foolish
And you stole my heart away

VERSE 6
If I had three ships on th ocean
All laden with silver an' gold
And before my darlin' should suffer
I'd have them all anchored and sold

VERSE 7
If I had th wings of an angel
Across th wide sea I would fly
I would fly to th arms of my darlin'
And there I'd be willin' to die

Variants