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Took my gal to a fancy ball, it was a social hop,
Danced all night till the break of daylight, just awaitin' for the music to stop;
We stopped into a restaurant, the finest on the street,
She said she was not hungry, but this is what she eat:
A dozen craw, a plate of slaw, a chicken and a roast,
A pair of doves with apple sauce and a soft shell crab on toast;
A big barbeque and crackers too, her appetite was immense,
When she called for more I fell on the floor, 'cause I had but fifty cents.
Oh, you bet I wasn't hungry, I didn't care to eat,
I got money in my clothes, the best they can't be beat;
I thought if she always ate that way, she'd surely break our bank,
She said she was not thirsty, but this is what she drank:
A glass of ale, a gin cocktail, it made me shake with tears,
A ginger pop with rum on top, and then a schooner of beer;
A whiskey sin and a glass of gin, she should have had more sense,
When she called for more I fell on the floor, for I had but fifty cents.
Oh, you bet I wasn't hungry, I didn't care to eat,
Thinking any moment we'd be tossed out in the street;
She said she'd bring some friends around one day, and we'd have fun,
I showed the man my fifty cents, and this is what he'd done:
Oh, he smashed my nose, he tore my clothes, he slammed me to the floor,
Grabbed me by the collar, then threw me out the door;
He grabbed me where my pants were loose, and he kicked me through the fence,
So take my advice don't try it twice when you got but fifty cents.
First written as a poem in 1881 by Sam Devere and originally published in 1885. Recorded by the Binkley Brothers Dixie Clodhoppers in 1928.
The YouTube video above features a live performance of a variant by Lew Dite with Terry Joe Banjo and Perry Beaton at the Church Street Café in Lennoxville, Quebec, January 4, 2008. Lew noted that there was no video available, but an in-house recording.
