Self Portrait

Alberta let your hair hang low
Alberta let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold
Than your apron can hold
If you'd only let your hair hang low

Alberta what's on your mind
Alberta what's on your mind
You keep me worried and bothered
All of the time
Alberta what's on your mind

Alberta don't you treat me unkind
Alberta don't you treat me unkind
Oh my heart is so sad
Cause i want you so bad
Alberta don't you treat me unkind

Alberta let your hair hang low
Alberta let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold
Than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low

Instrumental

I bless the day i found you
I want my arms around you
And so i beg you: let it be me.

Don't take this heaven from one
If you must cling someone
Now and forever, let it be me.

Each time we meet, love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love, what would life be ?

So never leave me lonely
Tell me that you love me only
And say you'll always let it be me.

I'm old tom moore from the bummer's shore in that good old golden days
They call me a bummer and a ginsot too, but what cares i for praise ?
I wander around from town to town just like a roving sign
And all the people say, "there goes tom moore, in the days of '49"
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times i repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

My comrades they all loved me well, a jolly saucy crew
A few hard cases i will recall though they all were brave and true
Whatever the pitch they never would flinch, they never would fret or whine
Like good old bricks they stood the kicks in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times i repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

There was new york jake, the butcher boy, he was always getting tight
And every time that he'd get full he was spoiling for a fight
But jake rampaged against a knife in the hands of old bob stein
And over jake they held a wake in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times i repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

There was poker bill, one of the boys who was always in a game
Whether he lost or whether he won, to him it was always the same
He would ante up and draw his cards and he would you go a hatful blind
In the game with death bill lost his breath, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times i repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

There was ragshag bill from buffalo, i never will forget
He would roar all day and he'd roar all night and i guess he's roaring yet
One day he fell in a prospect hole, in a roaring bad design
And in that hole he roared out his soul, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times i repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

Of the comrades all that i've had, there's none that's left to boast
And i'm left alone in my misery like some poor wandering ghost
And i pass by from town to town, they call me a rambling sign
"there goes tom moore, a bummer shore in the days of '49 "
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times i repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

These are the words of a frontier man
Who lost his love when he turned bad.

Take a message to mary
But don't tell here where i am
Take a message to mary
But don't say i'm in a jam
You can tell her that i had to see the world
Tell her that my ship set sail
You can say she'd better not wait for me
But don't tell her i'm in jail, oh don't tell her i'm in jail.

Take a message to mary
But don't tell her what i've done
Please, don't mention the stage coach
And the shot from a carried gun
You better tell her that i had to change my plans
And cancel out the wedding-day
But please, don't mention the lonely cell
Where i'm gonna pine away, until my dying-day.

Take a message to mary
But don't tell her all you know
My heart is aching for mary
Lord know i miss her so
Just tell her that i went to timbukto
Tell her i'm searching for gold
You can say she better find someone new
To cherish and to hold, oh lord, this cell is so cold.

Went out last night to take a little round.
I met my little sadie and i brought her down.
I ran right home and i went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head.

I began to think what a deed i'd done.
I grabbed my hat and i began to run.
I made a god run but i ran too slow;
They overtook me down in jericho

Standing on a corner a ringin' my bell,
Up stepped the sheriff from thomasville.
He said 'young man is you name brown?
Remember you blowed sadie down."

"oh yes sir, my name is lee.
I murdered little sadie in the first degree.
First degree and second degree.
If you've got any papers will you serve them to me?"

Well they took me down town and they dressed me in black,
They put me on a train and they sent me back.
I had no one to go my bail;
They crammed me back into the county jail.

Oh, yes they did.
The judge and the jury they took their stand.
The judge had the papers in his right hand.

Forty-one days, forty-one nights;
Forty-one years to wear the ball and the stripes;
Oh, no!

Went out last night to take a little round.
I met little sadie and i blowed her down.
I ran right home and i went to bed,
A forty-four smokeless under my head.

Since you've been gone,
I've been walking around
With my head bowed down to my shoes.
I've been living the blues
Ev'ry night without you.

I don't have to go far
To know where you are,
Strangers all give me the news.
I've been living the blues
Ev'ry night without you.

I think that it's best,
I soon get some rest
And forget my pride.
But i can't deny
This feeling that i
Carry for you deep down inside.

If you see me this way,
You'd come back and you'd stay,
Oh, how could you refuse.
I've been living the blues
Ev'ry night without you.

One evening for pleasure i rambled to view
The fair fields all alone
Down by the banks of loch eiron
Where beauty and pleasure were known.

I spied a fair maid at her labour
Which caused me to stay for a while
And i thought of a goddess to beauty
Bloomin' bright star of bright isle.

I humbled myself to her beauty
"fair maiden, where do you belong ?
Are you from heaven descended
Abiding in cupid's fair throne ?".

"young man, i will tell you a secret
It's true i'm a maid that is poor
And to part from my vows and my promise
Is more than my heart can endure.

Therefore i remain at my service
And go through all my hardship and toil
And wait for the lad that has left me
All alone on the banks of belle isle".

"young maiden i wish not to banter
It's true i come here in disguise
I came here to fulfill our last promise
And hope to give you a surprise.

I've known you're a maid i love dearly
And you've been in my heart all the while
For me there is no other damsel
Than my bloomin' bright star of belle isle".

I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

You think you know the smile on her lips
The thrill and the touch of her fingertips
But i forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

You think you'll find heaven of bliss
In each caress, in each tender kiss
But i forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

You stole her love from me one day
You didn't care, oh, it hurt me
But you can never steal away memories of what used to be.

You think she's yours, to have and to hold
Someday you'll learn, when her love grows cold
But i forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil,
Fill it with new-made corn mash and never more you'll toil.
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright,
Watch them jugs a-filling
In the pale moonlight.
Build you a fire with hickory, hickory, ash and oak,
Don't use no green or rotten wood; they'll get you by the smoke.
We'll just lay there by the juniper... etc.
My daddy, he made whiskey; my granddaddy, he did too.
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792.
We just lay there by the juniper... etc.
(last line repeated)

Done laid around and stayed around this old town to long
Sommers almost gone yeh winters commin on
Done laid around and stayed around this old town to long
And i feel like i gotta travel on

There's a lonesome freight at six'o eight commin through the town
Commin through the town yeh i'll be homeward bound
A lonesome freight at six'o eight a commin through the town
But i feel like i gotta travel on

That chilly wind will soon begin but i'll be on my way
I'll be on my way yeh i'll be home to stay
That chilly wind will soon begin and i'll be on my way
But i feel like i gotta travel on

(not sure on next verse)

High police and sherriff are commin after me
Yeh commin after me yeh commin after me
The high police and sherriff are comin after me
And i feel like i gotta travel on

Wanna see my honey, wanna see her bad
Wanna see my honey, wanna see her bad
She's the best girl a man could ever have

Papa writes to johnny but johnny can't come home
Johnny can't come home no johnny can't come home
Papa writes to johnny but johnny can't come home
Cause he's been on the chain gaing to long

So run here baby, put your little hands in mine
I've got something to tell you
I know you're gonna change your mind
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.

I want you, baby, just to understand
I don't wanna be your boss, baby
I just wanna be your man
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.

Now when you go home, you don't have to get along
Come back to me, baby
Where i live that's where you belong
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.

I love you baby, and you know that it's true
I wouldn't mistreat you, baby
Nothing in this world is like you
Yes, when things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.

So run here baby, put your little hands in mine
I've got something to tell you, baby
I know you're gonna change your mind
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
Don't you know, really, don't you know it hurts me too.