[Chorus]
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
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 cain't fight
But I got my old Randall knife
I cut that boy and I never did look back

Chorus

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 goin' back there anymore