Mr. Brakeman- Crymes (AR) 1953 Parler G
[From Ozark Folk Songs online. Coll. by M.C . Parler Reel 176 Item 7
R. Matteson 2015]
Mr. Brakeman, Mr. Brakeman- Sung by Roy Crymes of DeValls Bluff, Ark. Nov. 14, 1953.
Mr. Brakeman, Mr. Brakeman,
Wait just a little while,
Here comes my dear mother,
She's walked for many a mile.
Dear mother, dear mother,
Have you gold to set me free?
Or have you come to see me hung
Upon this cypress tree?
Dear daughter, dear daughter,
I have no gold to set you free,
So I guess I've come to see you hang,
Upon that cypress tree.
In subsequent verses, "father," "brother," "sister," and finally "sweetheart" are substituted for "mother". The last verse runs thus:
Dear Sweetheart, dear sweetheart,
I have the gold to set you free,
I could not bear to see you hung,
Upon that cypress tree.