From the recording It's a Short Life
Lyrics
12) Go Down Ol’ Hanna
(traditional – arr. border band – last verse m.litton)
Go down ol’ Hanna, don’t you rise up no more
But if you rise up in the mornin’, set the world on fire
It was early one morning, the sun did rise
I was thinkin’ about my pretty baby
Hung my head and I cried
Go down ol’ Hanna, don’t you rise up no more
But if you rise up in the mornin’, bring Judgement Day
Should’ve been down by the river in 1910
They was drivin’ our women like they drove the men
I told the Captain that ol’ John he lay dead
The Captain didn’t do nuthin’, just nodded his head
Go down ol’ Hanna, go down ol’ Hanna
When I went to school, teacher, she asked me one thing
“Say tell me little partner, who learned you to sing?”
I said, “My ol’ daddy, he taught me these songs
“He plowed the hard earth ‘n to the earth he has gone”
Go down ol’ Hanna, go down ol’ Hanna
By the red of my blood, by the white of my bones
By the deep river mud each man dies alone
Go down with my shovel, go down dig my grave
Go down with ol’ Hanna come Judgement Day