Old Joe Clark he made his mark when cotton was king  And late at night 'neath the shanty light you could hear that banjo ring  It would ring out for the master who was listening on the hill  And it would ring out for the babies who were sleeping quiet and still    Round and round old Joe Clark  Round and round, I say  Round and round old Joe Clark until the break of day    When he came out of the belly of that ship of slavery he was holding to his banjo but it was not on his knee  And someone said, "Hey here's a strong one and he can entertain  So we'll let you keep your banjo, but Clark's gonna be your name"    Round and round old Joe Clark  Play it when I say  Round and round old Joe Clark or they'll carry you away  Round and round    He learned to play the melodies of Cork and county Claire  He even played for Lincoln once, outside the courthouse square  Then he went down to New Orleans, they call it Dixieland  But everywhere that old Joe played, he was still a hired hand  Round and round    these lyrics are submitted by burkul