Export Town

Cat. #0827 (MFH #670) - As sung by Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on August 8, 1969

VERSE 1
I used to live in a Export town
I used to live an' dwell
I used to live in an Export town
I owned a flour mill

VERSE 2
There was a girl, a Export girl
With dark brown roll'n eyes
I asked that girl to marry me
Me she did deny

VERSE 3
I strolled out to her sisters house
About eight o'clock that night
I told her that we'd take a walk
An' view th meadow gay
I told her that we'd take a walk
An' poirnt th wedd'n day

VERSE 4
We walked along, we talked along
Till we came to a level ground
I picked a stick up off th gound
An' I knocked this fair maid down

VERSE 5
She fell upon her bended knee
Have mercy, have mercy, she cried
O Willie dear, don't murder me here
For I'm not prepared to die

VERSE 6
I minded not a word she said
But I beat her more an' more
I beat her till th ground all 'round
Was in a bloody gore

VERSE 7
I took her by her long yellow hair
An' slung her 'round an' 'round
Took 'er down to th river side
An' throwed 'er in to drown

VERSE 8
I strolled by to my Mother's house
'Bout twelve o'clock that night
My Mother, being old an' feeble
She woke up in a fright

VERSE 9
O Willie, O Willie, what have you done
That's bloody'ed your hands an' clothes
The answer that I give to her
Was bleedin at th nose

VERSE 10
I called for a candlestick
To light myself to bed
I called for a hankachief
To bind my achin head

VERSE 12
I rolled, I tumbled th whole night thru
No comfort could I see
But Hell a shining all around
Hell was all aglee

VERSE 13
They took me up on suspisions
They locked me up in jail
I had no one to care for me
No one to go my bail

VERSE 14
Her sister, swore my life away
She swore it without a doubt
She swore that I was th very man
That led 'er sister out

VERSE 15
O Lord, their goin to hang me now
Th death I dread to die
O Lord, their goin to hang me now
Between th earth and sky

Variants