Devilish Mary - Lyrics - Odetta
Odetta Holmes , known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a civil and human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, she was influential to many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. Time included her song "Take This Hammer" on its list of the All-Time 100 Songs, stating that "Rosa Parks was her No. 1 fan, and Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music."
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I one dressed up and went to town
To court a fair young lady.
When I inquired about her name,
Her name was Devilish Mary.
Chorus:
Come fa la ling come, ling come,
Fa la ling come, day.
Fa la ling come, ling come,
Fa la ling come, day.
When me and Mary began to spark,
She got in a hurry,
Made it all up in her mind,
She'd marry me next Thursday.
(Chorus)
Hadn't been married for about two weeks,
Before we oughta been parted.
Hadn't said one single word,
She'd kicked up her heels and started.
(Chorus)
One day I said to Mary,
"Think we ought to be parted."
And just as soon as I said the word,
She packed all her clothes and started.
(Chorus)
She washed my clothes in old soap suds,
And filled up my bathtub with switches.
She let me know right from the start
She was gonna wear my britches.
(Chorus)
Now if I ever marry again,
It'll be for love not riches.
Marry a little girl about two feet high,
And she can't wear my britches.
(Chorus)
