Info
This song is based on a real man, Joseph Clark, who was born in 1839 and lived in the mountains of the Southeastern part of the United States. With numerous versions and about ninety stanzas, this song was popular with soldiers in World War I and is now a well-known fiddle tune.
Lyrics - Language
(American folk song)
1. Old Joe Clark, he built a house,
Took him ’bout a week;
He built the floors above his head,
The ceilings under his feet.
Refrain
Rock-a-rock, Old Joe Clark,
Rock-a-rock, I’m gone;
Rock-a-rock, Old Joe Clark,
Good-by Lucy Long.
2. Old Joe Clark, he had a dog,
Like none you’ve ever seen,
With floppy ears and a curly tail
And six feet in between. Refrain
3. I went down to Old Joe’s house,
Never been there before.
He slept on the feather bed,
And I slept on the floor. Refrain
4. Joe Clark had a violin.
He fiddled all the day.
Anybody start to dance,
And Joe would start to play. Refrain
5. Old Joe Clark, he had a wife,
Her name was Betty Sue.
She had two great big brown eyes,
The other two were blue. Refrain
Other Lyrics
Other Refrains
Round and round, Old Joe Clark,
Round and round I say;
Round and round, Old Joe Clark,
I haven’t long to stay.
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark,
Fare thee well, I say,
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark,
I am goin’ away.
Fly around, Old Joe Clark,
Fly around, I’m gone;
Fly around, Old Joe Clark,
With the golden slippers on.
Roll, roll, Old Joe Clark,
Roll, roll, I say,
Roll, roll, Old Joe Clark,
You’d better be gettin’ away.
Other Verses
Old Joe Clark had a house
Fifteen stories high,
And every story in that house
Was filled with chicken pie.
I went down to old Joe’s house,
He invited me to supper,
I stumped my toe on the table leg
And stuck my nose in the butter.
Old Joe Clark, he had a mule
Her name was Morgan Brown,
Every tooth in that mule’s head
Was sixteen inches ’round!
Old Joe Clark had a yellow cat
She would neither sing nor play,
Stuck her head in the buttermilk jar
And washed her cares away.
Don’t ever marry Old Joe Clark,
I’ll tell you the reason why:
He blows his nose in old corn bread,
And calls it pumpkin pie!
Old Joe Clark he had a dog
As blind as he could be;
Chased a bedbug ’round a stump
And a coon up a hollow tree.
When I was a little boy
I used to play in ashes
Now I am a great big boy
Wearing Dad’s mustaches.
The raccoon has a bushy tail,
The possum’s tail is bare,
The rabbit has no tail at all
Except a bunch of hair.
Books
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See also
- Country: US
- Subject: dogs / fiddles / silly
- Type: ballad
- Form: AB
- Melody: mi, re, do
- Meter: 4
- Rhythm:
/ 
/ 
- Scale: Mixolydian
- Source: American Folk Songs for Children, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1948
YouTube
- PDF of song with chords
- MIDI file
- Listen to the melody
