Now Stackerlee, he was a bad man
He wanted the whole round world to know
He toted a .32-20 and a smokeless .44
Now Stackerlee, Lord, and Billy Lyon
They was gamblin' early one day
Stackerlee losin' money and he th'owed the cards away
Now Stackerlee, he told Billy Lyon,
"Billy, I'm sure gon' take your life.
You have win my money, jack, and I found a foul dice."
Now Billy Lyon, he told Stackerlee,
He said, "Stack, please don't take my life.
I have two little child'en and my poor little weakly wife."
"Now, one of them is a boy, Stack,
And the other one is a girl."
"But if you love your child'en, Billy Lyon, you will have to meet them in the other world."
Now Stackerlee, he told Billy Lyon,
"Billy, I thought you were the gamblin' man.
You know you passed leads in the second, and you know you done fouled your hand."
Now Stackerlee, he shot Billy Lyon
'Way down on that ballroom floor
It was early one mornin', just about fifteen to four
Now Billy Lyon mother, she come runnin'
She said, "Lord have mercy on my son.
Poor Billy Lyon done got murdered, and I know he didn't have his gun."
Alberta, Lord, Alberta
Baby, don't you hear me callin' you?
But you're three times seven, Alberta, and you know what you want to do
I'm gonna call up the undertaker
Lord, I'm gonna ring up Mr. Moss
I'm gonna ask those people, "What will Alberta's funeral cost?"
I wants a two hundred dollar coffin
Lord, I wants a hundred dollar hearse
And that will put Alberta, I know, six feet in the earth
Now give me water, Lord, when I'm thirsty
Honey, give me whiskey when I'm dry
Give me Alberta when I need her and Heaven when I die
Now, when I gets all up in Glory
Lord, I'm gonna sit down on the Golden Stool
And I'm gonna ask St. Gabriel to blow me the worried blues
(SPOKEN: That's enough, boy, ha)