Taneytown

Steve Earle

INTRO:

I went down to Taneytown
I went down to Taneytown
To see what I could see 
My mama told me never go
I'm damn near 22 years old
Sometimes I feel this holler swallow 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 

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
Well they jumped at me and they called me names
And they whoopped me sure but the sheriff came
I slipped off   ran through the dry goods store 
Now I ran down Division Street
And some of them boys followed me
Down to the railroad track 
Well there was four of them and I can't fight
But I got my old Randall knife
I cut that boy and I never did look back 

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

Across the fields and woods I run
Like a bullet from a rabbit gun
Back home to my bed 
Now Ma come in from Gettysburg
Her and that new beau of hers
Boy you look like hell  is all she said 
A month went by without a word
Somebody down the holler heard
`Bout that boy they hung 
He begged those men to spare his life
But I dropped my bloody 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 going back there anymore