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Couple more I like...disaster and murder ballads fascinate me and tear me up at the same time.

Rye Cove Cyclone
(A.P. Carter)

Oh listen today and a story I'll tell,
In sadness and tear rimmed eyes,
Of a dreadful cyclone that came this way,
And blew our schoolhouse away.

cho: Rye Cove (Rye Cove), Rye Cove (Rye Cove),
The land of my childhood and home,
Where life's early morn I once loved to roam,
But now it's so silent and lone.

When the cyclone appeared it darkened the air,
And the lightning flashed over the sky,
And the children all cried, don't take us away,
But spare us to go back home.

There were mothers so dear and fathers the same,
That came to this terrible scene,
Searching and crying each found their own child,
Dying on a pillow of stone.

Oh give us a home far beyond the blue sky,
Where storms and cyclones are unknown,
And there by life's strand we'll clasp the glad hand,
Our children in their heavenly home.

Omie Wise

Oh, listen to my story, I'll tell you no lies,
How John Lewis did murder poor little Omie Wise.

He told her to meet him at Adams's Springs.
He promised her money and other fine things.

So, fool-like she met him at Adams's Springs.
No money he brought her nor other fine things.

"Go with me, little Omie, and away we will go.
We'll go and get married and no one will know."

She climbed up behind him and away they did go,
But off to the river where deep waters flow.

"John Lewis, John Lewis, will you tell me your mind?
Do you intend to marry me or leave me behind?"

"Little Omie, little Omie, I'll tell you my mind.
My mind is to drown you and leave you behind."

"Have mercy on my baby and spare me my life,
I'll go home as a beggar and never be your wife."

He kissed her and hugged her and turned her around,
Then pushed her in deep waters where he knew that she would drown.

He got on his pony and away he did ride,
As the screams of little Omie went down by his side.

T'was on a Thursday morning, the rain was pouring down,
When the people searched for Omie but she could not be found.

Two boys went a-fishin' one fine summer day,
And saw little Omie's body go floating away.

They threw their net around her and drew her to the bank.
Her clothes all wet and muddy, they laid her on a plank.

Then sent for John Lewis to come to that place --
And brought her out before him so that he might see her face.

He made no confession but they carried him to jail,
No friends or relations would go on his bail.

Oh, and a happy one, more or less! Hair, you might like this one. Horse related. ;-)

Tennessee Stud

Along about eighteen twenty-five,
I left Tennessee very much alive.
I never would have got through the Arkansas mud
If I hadn't been a-ridin' on the Tennessee Stud.
I had some trouble with my sweetheart's pa,
And one of her brothers was a bad outlaw.
I sent her a letter by my Uncle Bud,
And I rode away on the Tennessee Stud.

The Tennessee Stud was long and lean,
The color of the sun, and his eyes were green.
He had the nerve and he had the blood,
And there never was a horse like the Tennessee Stud.
One day I was riding in a beautiful land
I run smack into an Indian band
They jumped their nags with a whoop and a yell
And away we rode like a bat out of hell.
I circled their camp for a time or two,
Just to show what a Tennessee horse can do.
The redskin boys couldn't get my blood,
'Cause I was a-riding on the Tennessee Stud.

We drifted on down into no man's land,
We crossed that river called the Rio Grande.
I raced my horse with the Spaniard's foal
'Til I got me a skin full of silver and gold.

Me and a gambler, we couldn't agree,
We got in a fight over Tennessee.
We jerked our guns, and he fell with a thud,
And I got away on the Tennessee Stud.

I got just as lonesome as a man can be,
Dreamin' of my girl in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Stud's green eyes turned blue
'Cause he was a-dreamin' of a sweetheart, too,

We loped right back across Arkansas;
I whupped her brother and I whupped her pa.
I found that girl with the golden hair,
And she was a-riding on the Tennessee Mare.

Stirrup to stirrup and side by side,
We crossed the mountains and the valleys wide.
We came to Big Muddy, then we forded the flood
On the Tennessee Mare and the Tennessee Stud.

A pretty little baby on the cabin floor,
A little horse colt playing 'round the door,
I love that girl with the golden hair,
And the Tennessee Stud loves the Tennessee Mare.

I'll see your "Tennessee Stud", and raise it:

The Idaho Spud (John Thomson)

Along about nineteen eighty four
I left Sun Valley, it was such a bore
I packed up my Ray-Bans and my Gucci duds,
And I went out to work in the Idaho spuds.

Chorus:
The Idaho spud is long and green
It's covered with butter and sour cream.
Just dig her from the ground and clean off the mud -
There never was a tater like the Idaho spud.

I drove on down unto Burley town
Found a cute little russet kind of knobby and brown
I said, "Sweet thing, I'll dig you later
Right now I'm a-lookin' for an Idaho tater.

Chorus

They eat them lobsters on the coast of Maine,
And Gila monsters on the Texas plain
Folks Down Under eat the witchery grub,
But they all taste better with the Idaho spud

Chorus

You can make it into Vodka, you can make it into beer,
You can eat it with a chicken or an old dead steer.
Stopper up a gas can, serve it at the club
There never was a tater like the Idaho spud.

Chorus

They got nuclear waste on the desert floor,
The NEC wants to ship in more
A big hole in the ground where they're dumpin' their crud -
Radioactive Idaho spud

Chorus

(Last verse to be used depending on the audience and the singer's good judgment)

I got a cute little mutant on the cabin floor,
Another half a kid to stop the door
They light right up like green tomaters
Cuzz I'm feedin' them youngsters on nuclear potaters.

Chorus

from Faith Petric's CD, "When Did We Have Sauerkraut?"