American Old Time Song Lyrics: 26 William Owens

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 26

WILLIAM OWENS.

Listen you people from far and near, who have come here to-day
To see my body put to death and hurried in the clay;
I would have you all take warning by what you now may see,
Be sure and trust in honesty, and shun bad company.

'Twas in December, ninety-eight, as you will understand,
"Which was the time that I set out to work a cruel plan;
I started with the intention a fortune for to make,
But I, oh, poor unhappy man, have made a great mistake.

Louie Colind was the man persuaded me to go
To my eternal ruin and everlasting woe;
'Twas very much against the will of my good wife, so dear,
The night before I started she shed many a bitter tear.

Then down to Mr. Ireling's I was on Jolly bent,
But to commit a murder there it was not my intent;
When I asked him for his money he quickly seized his gun,
And so to save my own life I had to shoot him down.

And then to secure his money we quickly did prepare,
But it seemed to have been ordered we should get but little there;
lt was the first crime of the kind that I had ever done,
My guilty conscience frightened me and from the house I ran.

And then to quit the company, no more on folly bent,
Go home to wife And children dear it was my full intent,
With their insinuating tongues they pressed on me quite hard,
And sneered that for so small an act I should feel aught regard.

Through their ingenious artifice some comfort I did take,
More cheerfully I went along and made another break ;
I'm glad that justice did pursue, or where should we have been,
Perhaps still adding guilt to guilt, and crowning sin with sin.