High Water Part 1 - Charlie Patton

The back water done rolled lord, and tumbled, drove me down the line

The back water done rolled and tumbled, drove poor Charley down the line

Lord, i’ll tell the world the water done struck Drew’s town

Lord the whole round country, lord creek water is overflowed

Lord the whole round country, man, is overflowed

(spoken: you know, i can’t stay here, i’m bound to go where it’s high boy.)

I would go to the hill country, but

they got me barred

Now looky now, in

Leland

, Lord, river is rising high

Looky here, boys around Leland tell me river is raging high

(spoken: boy, it’s rising over there, yeah.)

I’m

going over to Greenville, bought our ticket

s, good bye

Looky here, the water dug out, Lordy,

levee broke

, rolled most everywhere

The water at Greeville and Leland, Lord, it done rose everywhere

(spoken: boy, you can’t never stay here.)

I would go down to Rosedale, but they tell me there’s water there

Back water at Blytheville, backed up all around

Back water at Blytheville, done struck Joiner town

It was fifty families and children.

Tough luck, they can drown

The water was rising up in my friend’s door

The water was risins up in my friend’s door

The man said his womenfolk, «Lord we’d better go»