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.

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

You've gone to the finest school all right, miss lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And ask him do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

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.

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.

Ev'rybody's building the big ships and the boats,
Some are building monuments,
Others, jotting down notes,
Ev'rybody's in despair,
Ev'ry girl and boy
But when quinn the eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty quinn.

I like to do just like the rest, i like my sugar sweet,
But guarding fumes and making haste,
It ain't my cup of meat.
Ev'rybody's 'neath the trees,
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when quinn the eskimo gets here,
All the pigeons gonna run to him.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty quinn.

A cat's meow and a cow's moo, i can recite 'em all,
Just tell me where it hurts yuh, honey,
And i'll tell you who to call.
Nobody can get no sleep,
There's someone on ev'ryone's toes
But when quinn the eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna wanna doze.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty quinn.

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.