Am C G Am C G Am Em 
 
Am             C 
I went down to Taneytown 
G              Am 
I went down to Taneytown 
C                   G          Am  Em 
To see what I could see 
Am              C  
My mama told me never go 
    G         Am 
I'm damn near 22 years old 
C                     G              Am   Em7 
Sometimes I feel this holler swallow me 
Am             C  
She ran off to Gettysburg 
 G                     Am  
Went off with that new beau of hers 
  C               G   Am   Em 
I snuck off after dark 
       Am                C 
It's a long way down the county road 
    G                         Am       
The stars were bright and the moon was low 
C                 G                 Am       Em      
Down to where the black top highway starts 
Am             C 
I went down to Taneytown 
G              Am 
I went down to Taneytown 
C              G                Am   Em 
I went down to see what I could see 
 
SOLO 
 
Am            C 
Now everybody stared at me 
G                           Am 
You'd think that they ain't never seen 
C             G      Am Em 
A colored boy before 
Am                              C 
Well they jumped at me and they called me names 
         G                        Am 
And they whoopped me sure but the sheriff came 
C               G                         Am   Em 
I slipped off   ran through the dry goods store 
Am             C 
Now I ran down Division Street 
G                     Am                  
And some of them boys followed me 
C                    G     Am  Em 
Down to the railroad track 
Am                             C 
Well there was four of them and I can't fight 
G                Am 
But I got my old Randall knife 
C                  G                Am    Em 
I cut that boy and I never did look back 
Am             C 
I went down to Taneytown 
G              Am 
I went down to Taneytown 
C              G                Am  Em 
I went down to see what I could see 
 
SOLO 
 
Am                    C 
Across the fields and woods I run 
       G             G 
Like a bullet from a rabbit gun 
C                G   Am  Em  
Back home to my bed 
Am                  C 
Now Ma come in from Gettysburg 
G                 Am                  
Her and that new beau of hers 
C                 G                Am    Em 
Boy you look like hell  is all she said 
 Am              C 
A month went by without a word 
G                  Am 
Somebody down the holler heard 
C                  G   Am   Em 
Bout that boy they hung 
Am                     C 
He begged those men to spare his life 
      G                  Am 
But I dropped my bloody Randall knife 
C                        G                  Am  Em 
He picked it up so they thought he was the one 
Am             C 
I went down to Taneytown 
G              Am 
I went down to Taneytown 
C             G              Am 
I ain't going back there anymore