Ballad of spider john   By: willis a. ramsey   1974   "spider john" is my name friend   I'm in between freights and I sure would be obliged   If you'd share your company      I know this may sound strange to you   But if you wait till the song is sung and the story is told   You might come to understand   Oh, I'm old and bent and devil sent, runnin' out of time   When I long ago held a royal flush in my hand      Chorus:   Oh, I was a supermarket fool   I was a motor bank stool-pidgeon, robbin' my hometown   I thought I lost my blues, yes I thought I paid my dues   I thought I'd found a life to suit my style   But here I sit old spider john the robber-man   Long, tall, and handsome   Yes, old spider john with a loaded hand, takin' ransom      Then one day I met diamond lill   She was the sweetest thing, I declare   That the summer breeze had ever blown my way   But lilly she had no idea, of my illustrious occupation   She thought I was a saint, not a sinner, gone astray   But you see that the word got around and lilly left town   Never saw her again   Tossin' and turnin', 'causin' my heart to grieve      Chorus:   Oh, I was a supermarket fool   I was a motor bank stool-pidgeon, robbin' my hometown   I thought I lost my blues, yes I thought I paid my dues   I thought I'd found a life to suit my style   But here I sit old spider john the robber-man   Long, tall, and handsome   Yes, old spider john with a loaded hand, takin' ransom      That is all my story   It's been these thirty years since I took to the road   To find my precious jewel one   And if you see my lilly, won't you give her my regards   Tell her ole spider got tangled in the black web that he spun   You can tell her ole spider got tangled the black web that he spun