Expert: Dr. J. M. Allen - 11/15/2009

Question
When my father was alive, he died in 1997, I remember parts of a song he use to sing about a guy in prison telling the story of how he went bad. I remember this part:

...till it came to the use of a gun. Now in my pocket I carried a pistol, it was never away from my side. And the notches that's carved in it's handle, tell how more then one man had died. Now I wish I had listen to mother. She said there would be days like this.......   

So far that's all i can remember. I use to know more of it cause I sang it with dad. i should have written down the words after he died but I figured i would always remember them. Well I was wrong.

I thought it was called "The Prisoners Song" or "The Prisoners Lament" but that can't be because that is, Oh if I had the wing of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly... And that's not the song I'm thinking of.

Have you ever heard of it before. I think I should write down the other songs he use to sing, like "The Poor Old Slave, has gone to rest", and "Mrs Murphy's Chowder". Or his Sailor's Lament.  Anyway, I've searched the internet for that prisoner song but I can't find anything about it. What do you think, sound familiar?

Answer
Check the link below out...you can play a few seconds of the song by clicking on the play button. It is an old Ernie Stoneman song from the 1920's called "The Prisoner's Lament"  and see if that is the song....


Here are the words to "The Poor Old Slave has Gone to Rest":

http://books.google.com/books?id=LMYVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=song++the+poor...


Mrs. Murphy's Chowder:
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/m012.html

And check out Creedence Clearwater Revival...they did an old song called "sailor's Lament"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aof...