Tony Joe White Follow

Old Man Willis
Tony Joe White
1968
3:13

Down in West Carrol Parish,
About 20 miles from Arkansas
Lived a man and his wife and four five children’s
The weirdest people I ever saw
Old Man Willis
That’s what everybody called him
He use to chase his young’uns and his wife
With a Jim Bowie huntin’ knife

He had four coons, a cat, and a hound-dog,
They stayed in the same house with him.
Th'ate from his dinner table, drank from his water bucket,
slept in the same bed with him.
Haa…
Old man Willis…
Where do y'all come from?
He used to chase his young'uns and his wife,
with his double-bladed sharp knife. ...

Lord now mamma said she thought the man was crazy
Daddy said he’s just a drunk, haa…haa
Lord Some people said that he made his livin’ makin’ whiskey in the Boeuf River swamps
Old Man Willis
Where did you get your bread?
He used to chase his young'uns and his wife
With his double-bladed huntin’ knife. ...

Lord we’d see him a comin’ down the dirt road
In his ’49 Pontiac
Just a getting’ it…
An' momma would holler y'all get under the house!
'Cause Mr. Willis drives like a maniac!
Old Man Willis
Why do you drive so bad?
He finally caught his young’uns and his wife…
and slayed um’ with his huntin’ knife
Lord have mercy…

Willis