Knoxville Girl

Cat. #0633 (MFH #670) - As sung by Paralee Weddington, Busch, Arkansas on March 7, 1968

VERSE 1
A little girl in Knoxville
A town we all knew well
Every Sunday evening
At her home I'd dwell
We went t' take an evening walk
About a mile to town
I picked a stick up from th ground
I knocked that fair girl down

VERSE 2
She fell upon her bended knees
For mercy she did cry
Willie dear, don't kill me here
I'm not prepared to die
He never spoke another word
He only beat her more
Until th ground around her
Was in her blood an' gore

VERSE 3
He took her by th golden curls
An' he drug her round an' round
He threw her in th river
That flowed from Knoxville Town
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
With dark an' rolling eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
You never can be my bride

VERSE 4
I started back to Knoxville
Got there about midnight
My Mother, she was worried
Woke up all in a fright
Saying son, what Son, what have you done
To bloody your clothes so
The answer I gave Mother
Was bleeding at th nose

VERSE 5
I called for me a candle
To light myself to bed
I called for me a hank-er-chief
To bind my aching head
I rolled an' tumbled the whole night long
Th __ __ ___ __ _ for me
Th flames of hell around my bed
An' demons I could see

VERSE 6
They carried him off to Knoxville
An' locked him in a cell
His friends all tried to save him
But none could pay his bill
__ ___ ___ ___ __ life away
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Variants