I caught my wife with another man
Cost me ninety-nine
Down in the Georgia prison
Close to the Florida line
I've been here for twelve long years
And I've finally made the warder my friend
He sentenced me to a life of ease
Takin' care of Ol' Red.
Now Ol' Red he's the damndest dog
I have ever seen
He's got a nose that can smell a two-day trail
He's a four legged tracking machine.
You'd consider yourself mighty lucky
To get past the gators and the quicksand beds
'Cause all these years that I've been here
Nobody got past Red.
Hear the warder say,
Come on somebody, why don't you run
Ol' Red's a-itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have 'em treed before the mornin' come
Payed off a guard and I sent out a letter
To my cousin up in Tennessee
And he brought down this blue tick hound
She was pretty as she could be
So we staked her out in the swampland
About a mile just south of the gate
And I'd take Ol' Red for his evening walk
Let him go and wait
Hear the warder say
Come on somebody, why don't you run
Ol' Red's a-itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have 'em treed before the mornin' come
Now Ol' Red, he got used to seein'
His lady friend there every night
So I kept him away for three or fours days
And I waited 'til the time was right
Then I made my run with the evening sun
And I smiled when they let Ol' Red out
'Cause I was headed north for Tennessee
Ol' Red, he was headin' South
Hear the warder say
Come on somebody, why don't you run
Ol' Red's a-itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have 'em treed before the mornin' come
Now, there's red haired blue ticks all in the south
Love got me in there and love got me out