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Old Joe Clark TML # 007638
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Old Joe Clark is usually done as an instrumental, and commonly thought of as a banjo tune. Popular in Bluegrass and Old Time circles. It is often used as a dance tune for square dance or clogging. Lyrics are seldom sung but do exist (in many variations). Old Joe Clark, a "fine old man" and a "preacher's son," lives an improbable life of courting, gambling, drinking, and sundry accidents. Versions range from the thoroughly clean (often involving animals) to the significantly bawdy Randolph-Legman I offers some of the rarely printed bawdy verses to this familiar square dance and quatrain ballad. - EC Since this piece is often played as a fiddle tune, and since the verses are usually improbable, often come from other songs, and rarely show any connection to each other, this song has been suspected of having begun life as an instrumental.
Verse

Old Joe Clark he had a house, six-teen sto-ries high
Ev-ery sto-rey in that house was filled with chick-en pie.

Chorus

Round and round Old Joe Clarke, round and round I say
Round and Round Old Joe Clarke, I ain't got long to stay.
Old Joe Clarke's a mean old man, Mean as he can be
Knocked me down with his right hand, Walked all over me

When Old Joe Clarke comes to my door, He treats me like a pup,
He runs my beardogs under the floor and drinks my whiskey up.

He puts his banjoe in my hands, And tells me what to play
Dances with my pretty little girl till the break of day.
This royalty free score was generated by the Traditional Music Library On Line Tunebook (Shareware Version). As-is copies of this score may be freely distributed. Further info from WWW.TRADITIONALMUSIC.CO.UK