It was late last night, light's burnin' by my bed.
It was late last night, and light's burnin' by my bed.
Eased my head to the window, this is what my baby said.
"Let's just lay here easy till the cock go to crowin' 'fore day."
Says, "Just lay here easy till that cock go to crowin' 'fore day."
Eased my clothes out the window gonna make my getaway.
I got a dirty mistreater she's mean as she can be.
Got a dirty mistreater, mean as she can be,
I didn't figure she was so mean till she dropped that cannon on me.
When my rider drawed the cannon, oooh, my flesh begin to crawl.
When my rider drawed the cannon my flesh begin to crawl.
Any man feel kind o' different when he's faced with a cannonball.
I stepped two feet forward, started to break and run.
I stepped two feet forward, tryin' to break and run.
Ah, but a man don't outrun a cannon, it's same as a Gatlin' gun.
Notes:
Blues & Gospel Records ed. IV has the title as Lemon's Cannon Ball Blues; most other sources have it as ..Moan. It turns out this was a mistake in B&GR which crept in in ed. III and no doubt they will correct for ed. V.