Poor Boy
Woody Guthrie Lyrics

My mother called me to her bedside
The singer's mother summoned him and spoke to him.

These words she said to me
The mother then conveyed a message to the singer.

If you don't quit your rambling ways
The mother warned the singer about his unregulated way of living.

They're gonna get you in the penitentiary
The consequence of continuing his haphazard lifestyle would be imprisonment.

Gonna get you in the penitentiary poor boy
The warning was repeated with the same dire outcome.

If you don't quit your reckless ways
Similarly, the mother instructed the singer against his imprudent habits.

So I sat myself down in a gambling game
Despite the advice, the singer still went ahead with a game of chance.

But I could not play my hand
The artist's attention was distracted by thoughts of his lost love.

Just thinking about that woman I love
The artist was preoccupied with his lover but was unable to win her back.

Run away with another man poor boy
The artist lamented the fact that his beloved had run off with someone else.

Run away with another man
This line reinforces the previous one about the woman leaving with another man.

The cards came around the table lord
The game of cards continued and the artist lost his attention again.

And I had such a worried mind
The singer was preoccupied with thoughts of his lover, leading to a lack of focus on his game.

My stack of gold dollars I wasted away
The singer lost all his money in the game.

And I lost about ninety-nine poor boy
The singer lost almost all of his money, an unfortunate and foolish outcome.

I lost about ninety-nine
This line further emphasizes the extent of the artist's monetary loss.

It wasn't very long till I seen him again
The artist was reunited with the man who had run off with his lover.

He ran away left her behind
The aforementioned man left the singer's lover behind.

And I laid him down with my old forty-four
The singer killed the man with a gun.

And the judge gave me ninety-nine poor boy
Because of his violent crime, the artist was given a ninety-nine-year jail sentence.

The judge gave me ninety-nine
This line repeats the previous one, conveying the same meaning.

Well the jury said I had to pay
The artist's actions were deemed unacceptable by the legal system.

And the clerk he wrote it down
The punishment was recorded and documented by court officials.

And the judge called out my number
The artist's sentence was announced by the judge.

Two sixes upside down poor boy
The singer's number, which determined his sentence length, was two sixes turned upside down.

Two sixes upside down
This line repeats the singer's number, emphasizing its significance.