I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
To see what I could see
My mama told me never go
I'm damn near 22 years old
Sometimes I feel this holler swallow me
She ran off to Gettysburg
Went off with that new beau of hers
I snuck off after dark
It's a long way down the county road
The stars were bright and the moon was low
Down to where the black top highway starts
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to see what I could see
SOLO
Now everybody stared at me
You'd think that they ain't never seen
A colored boy before
Well they jumped at me and they called me names
And they whoopped me sure but the sheriff came
I slipped off ran through the dry goods store
Now I ran down Division Street
And some of them boys followed me
Down to the railroad track
Well there was four of them and I can't fight
But I got my old Randall knife
I cut that boy and I never did look back
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to see what I could see
SOLO
Across the fields and woods I run
Like a bullet from a rabbit gun
Back home to my bed
Now Ma come in from Gettysburg
Her and that new beau of hers
Boy you look like hell is all she said
A month went by without a word
Somebody down the holler heard
Bout that boy they hung
He begged those men to spare his life
But I dropped my bloody Randall knife
He picked it up so they thought he was the one
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
I ain't going back there anymore