You might come to understand    Why I'm old and bent and devil's been runnin' out of time    When I long ago held a royal flush in my hand.       Oh, I was a super market fool, I was a roll-the-bank, a    stool pigeon,    Robbing my hometown    I thought I'd lost the blues, yes, I thought I'd paid my dues    I thought I'd found the life to suit my style       But here I sit ol' Spider John    The robber man    Long, tall and handsome    Yes, ol' Spider John with the loaded hand    Taking ransom       Then one day I met Diamond Lil    She was the sweetest thing, I declare,    That the summer breeze ever blown my way    But, lady, she had no idea my illustrious occupation    She thought I was a saint, not a sinner gone astray    But you see that word got around and Lily left town    Never saw her again    Tossin' and turnin', causin' my heart to grieve       Oh, I was a super market fool, I was roll-the-bank, stool pigeon    Robbing my hometown.    I thought I'd lost my blues, thought I'd paid my dues    I thought I'd found the life to suit my style.    But here I sit ol' Spider John,    The robber man    Long, tall and handsome    Yes, ol' Spider John with the loaded hand    Taking ransom       That is all my story    Been these thirty years since I took to the road    Find my precious jewel one    If you see my Lily, won't you give her my regards    Tell her ol' Spider got tangled    In the black web that he spun       You can tell her that ol' Spider got tangled    In the black web that he spun