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 SOLO Now everybody stared at me You'd think that they ain't never seen A colored boy before 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 SOLO 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