Steve Earle Taneytown Lyrics

I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
To see what I could see
My mama told me never go
But I'm almost 22 years old
Sometimes I fear this holler swollow me
She ran off to Gettysburg
Went off with that new beau of hers
I snuck off after dark
It's a long way down the county road
The stars were bright
And the moon was low
Down to where the black top highway starts

Chorus:
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
I went down to see what I could see

Now everybody stared at me
You'd think that they ain't never seen
A colored boy before
Well, they chunked at me
And they called me names
They'd have whipped me sure but the sheriff came
I slipped off ran through the dry goods store
Now I ran down Division Street
Some of them boys followed me
Down to the railroad track
Well, there's 4 of them and I can't fight
But I had my old Randall knife
I cut that boy and I never did look back

Chorus

Across the fields and woods I run
Like a bullet from a rabbit gun
Back home to my bed
Ma came in from Gettysburg
Her and that new beau of hers
'Boy you look like hell' was all she said

A month went by without a word
Somebody down the holler heard
About that boy to hung
He begged those men to spare his life
But I dropped my b_____ Randall knife
He picked it up so they thought he was the one

I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
I ain't goin' back there anymore