Old Joe Clark
Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys Lyrics


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Old Joe Clark's a fine old man
Tell you the reason why
He keeps good likker 'round his house
Good old Rock and Rye

Fare ye well, Old Joe Clark
Fare ye well, I say
Fare ye well, Old Joe Clark
I'm a going away

Old Joe Clark, the preacher's son
Preached all over the pain
The only text he ever knew
Was High, low, Jack and the game

Old Joe Clark had a mule
His name was Morgan Brown
And every tooth in that mule's head
Was sixteen inches around

Old Joe Clark had ayellow cat
She would neither sing or pray
She stuck her head in the butermilk jar
And washed her sins away

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

Now I wouldn't marry a widder
Tell you the reason why
She'd have so many children
They'd make those biscuits fly

Sixteen horses in my team
The leaders they are blind
And every time the sun goes down
There's a pretty girl on my mind

Eighteen miles of mountain road
And fifteen miles of sand




If ever travel this road again
I'll be a married man

Overall Meaning

The song Old Joe Clark is an old-time Appalachian folk song that is known for its upbeat and catchy tune. It tells the story of a man named Old Joe Clark, who is a fine man that keeps good likker around his house. The song is full of humorous and playful lyrics, such as "Old Joe Clark, the preacher's son, preached all over the plain. The only text he ever knew was high, low, jack, and the game". The lyrics are nonsensical and seem to be meant to entertain rather than convey any deep meaning.


The song is also known for its call-and-response structure, which is a common characteristic of Appalachian music. The lead singer sings a line, and the other singers or the audience respond with a repeated line. This creates a sense of community and participation, making the song perfect for group singing and dancing.


Some of the other notable lyrics in the song include a reference to Old Joe Clark's mule, Morgan Brown, whose teeth were sixteen inches around. The song also mentions Old Joe's yellow cat, who washed her sins away by sticking her head in the buttermilk jar. In addition, the song includes a humorous verse about a man who wouldn't marry a widow because she would have too many children and "they'd make those biscuits fly".


Line by Line Meaning

Old Joe Clark's a fine old man
Old Joe Clark is a beloved and respected old man.


Tell you the reason why
Let me tell you the reason why Old Joe Clark is such a great guy.


He keeps good likker 'round his house
He always has good alcohol stocked in his home.


Good old Rock and Rye
Specifically, he has Rock and Rye, a popular alcoholic drink in the early 1900s.


Fare ye well, Old Joe Clark
Goodbye, Old Joe Clark.


Fare ye well, I say
That's what I'm saying.


I'm a going away
I'm leaving.


Old Joe Clark, the preacher's son
Old Joe Clark was the son of a preacher.


Preached all over the pain
He preached all over the place.


The only text he ever knew
He only knew one text.


Was High, low, Jack and the game
It was High, Low, Jack, and the Game.


Old Joe Clark had a mule
Old Joe Clark owned a mule.


His name was Morgan Brown
The mule's name was Morgan Brown.


And every tooth in that mule's head
Each tooth in the mule's head.


Was sixteen inches around
Had a circumference of sixteen inches.


Old Joe Clark had ayellow cat
Old Joe Clark owned a yellow cat.


She would neither sing or pray
The cat would not sing or pray.


She stuck her head in the butermilk jar
The cat put her head in the buttermilk jar.


And washed her sins away
And washed her sins away in the buttermilk.


Old Joe Clark had a house
Old Joe Clark had a house.


Fifteen stories high
Which was fifteen stories tall.


And every story in that house
And each story in the house.


Was filled with chicken pie
Was filled with tasty chicken pie.


I went down to Old Joe's house
I visited Old Joe's house.


He invited me to supper
And he offered me supper.


I stumped my toe on the table leg
I accidentally hit my toe on the table leg.


And stuck my nose in the butter
And hit my nose on the butter.


Now I wouldn't marry a widder
I would not marry a widow.


Tell you the reason why
Let me tell you why I wouldn't marry a widow.


She'd have so many children
It's because she would have many children.


They'd make those biscuits fly
The children would make those biscuits fly because of the chaos they would cause.


Sixteen horses in my team
I have a team of sixteen horses.


The leaders they are blind
The two horses at the front are blind.


And every time the sun goes down
And whenever the sun sets.


There's a pretty girl on my mind
I think of a pretty girl.


Eighteen miles of mountain road
There is an eighteen mile-long mountain road.


And fifteen miles of sand
And another fifteen miles of sandy road.


If ever travel this road again
If I ever travel this road again.


I'll be a married man
I will be married.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIM BRYANT, JIMMY BRYANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@ericcarpenter1332

One of my personal favorites in bluegrass! Nobody does this song better than them!

@rufusbuckner7209

Some of the bluegrass terms sure fit: chopping picking banging & sawing!

@howlinwolf910

probably one of the most beautiful bluegrass tunes ever played.. thanks for this song, alamo :)..

@makeitrunn

I own this album, the absolute best version of this song!

@wendypruitt843

One of Mr. Monroe's best....He knew how to balance speed with finesse.....No one does it better!

@pamelad5677

😀👍💖

@tetsuyama5116

Brilliance all around !

@sarahthatgirl8920

Why did someone dislike this? Do they not know REAL MUSIC when they hear it!!!????!?!??!!!???!?

@sarahthatgirl8920

I play bluegrass and its been in my family for years. Im related to the carter family even through my grandmas side. Soo i know my music.

@MainChannelTX

A non-mixolydian version chorus to boot!

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