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Roscoe Holcomb, vocal and guitar - Frankie and Johnny

from Survey of Traditional Music, Vol. 4: The Anglo​-​African Exchange by Field Recorders' Collective

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For an in-depth discussion of this track, see the album notes: tinyurl[dot]com/V4NATnotes

lyrics

It’s Frankie and Johnny was sweethearts
Oh, how they did love
They swore to be true to each other
Just as true as the stars above
He was her man, oh lord, but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to the barroom
Just for a bucket of beer
She asked that barroom tender
“Has my loving Johnny been here?
He is my man, oh lord, but he done me wrong.”

“Frankie, you ought not ask me no questions
And I’ll tell you no lies
Your loving [man was here] about a half an hour ago
With a gal called Nelly Bly
He was your man, oh lord, but he done you wrong.

Frankie went down to the barroom
Had a little white apron on
And under that little white apron
She carried a forty-four smokeless gun
She’s looking for her man, lord, lord, he’d a-done her wrong.

And Frankie looked over the transom
And she saw to her surprise
It’s there on a cot sat Johnny
Making love to Nelly Bly
He was her man, lord, lord, but he done her wrong.

Frankie drew back her kimono
And she pulled a little forty-four
And rooti-toot-toot three times she shot
Right through that hardwood door
She shot her man, lord, lord, he’s a-done her wrong.

“It’s a-bring around a thousand policemen
You can bring them around today
You can lock me down in that dungeon cell
And throw that key away
‘Cause I shot my man, lord, lord, and he done me wrong.”

Frankie said to the warden
“What are they going to do?”
And the warden he said to Frankie
“There’s a ‘lectric chair for you
‘Cause you shot your man, lord, lord, for he done you wrong.”

This story has no moral
This story has no end
This story it just goes to show
That there ain’t no good in men
“‘Cause I shot my man, lord, lord, for he done me wrong.”

credits

from Survey of Traditional Music, Vol. 4: The Anglo​-​African Exchange, released August 7, 2023
Recorded by Mark Wilson, Cambridge, MA, 11/18/72.

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Field Recorders' Collective

The Field Recorders’ Collective is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and distribution of noncommercial recordings of traditional American music, material that is unavailable to the general public.

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