Old Joe Clark - John Hartford

Old Joe Clark was a preacher-man

He preached all over the plain

The highest text he ever took

Was a-High, Low, Jack, and a-Game

Well, he came down to my house

And showed me all of his cards

He whispered low in his gambler’s voice

It’s reallly not too hard

I ain’t never had no trouble

Just walk around wearing a sheet

Buncha people waving them palm leaves

Just to keep Joe Clark from the heat

Well, Old Joe Clark’s got 2 little girls

To wash his feet and sing

«Old Joe Clark», I heard one say

«We'll give you anything»

Let’s go down to the church-house

There’s a lotta good things goin' down

The crown turns over at 9 o’clock

With the cream of the underground

CHORUS: Well get on down to Canaan brother

There’s a lotta good things goin' down

With a little bit of luck and a couple of bucks

You could be down there when the Glory rolls

Wake up brother, there’s a new day coming

And it hasn’t got time to stop

If’n you got the bread, you could change your head

You could be down there when the Glory rolls

Well I asked old Joe to manage me

So that I could go and sing

He said hurry up, I could wait on him

And he’d help me to do my thing

Now he calls me every hour

When I’m trying to be alone

Just wants to keep me posted

That there’s nothin' goin' on

REPEAT CHORUS

Well I need an old Orpheum 5-string

With a 12 inch open back pot

So the next time you go to the attic

Look and see what you got

Or a 12 inch Farland open-back

28 three-eighths inch scale

I wish you’d write and let me know

If’n you got one for sale

REPEAT CHORUS

++R.I.P.

John Hartford++