Lost John

Gonna tell you the story About old lost John Lost John was a boy that got loose From a chain gang down in Louisiana About sixteen bloodhound, took in after him Sheriffs, deputies And everybody else in the county Chasin' him all across the swamp Lost John outrun the bloodhounds there All night long, it was long towards mornin' He looked up to the tree there And seen the lights from a house He didn't know whether the people inside Was friends or were enemies So he wanted to go up to the house So, and asked if he could stay there To get away from the bloodhounds He was afraid if he did go up there That the people might set their dogs Barking at him or shoot him down With a Winchester riffle This is the story about lost John Old lost John ain't lost no more --- Lost John - Sonny Terry