Hangman- McCord (MO) 1897 Randolph D
[My title. From: Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, I, 1946, P. 144(D).
R. Matteson 2015]
D. [Hangman] Sung by Mrs. May Kennedy McCord, Springfield, Mo., May 16, 1939. Mrs. McCord heard the song in Galena, Mo., about 1897.
Hangman, hangman, slack up your rope,
Slack it for a while,
I look over yonder an' I see my paw comin',
He's walked for many a mile.
Say paw, say paw, have you brung me any gold,
Any gold for to pay my fee?
Oh no my son, I have not any gold
You must hang on the gallows tree.
Then comes the usual repetition of stanzas addressing mother, sister, brother, cousin and so on. The final verse runs:
Hangman, hangman, slack up your rope,
Slack it for a while,
I look over yonder an' I see my true love comin',
She's walked for many a mile.
Say love, say love, have you brung me any gold,
Any gold for to pay my fee?
Yes, I have brung you yeller, yeller gold,
To take you home with me.