Paul Clayton (born Paul Clayton Worthington; March 3, 1931 – March 30, 1967… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Clayton (born Paul Clayton Worthington; March 3, 1931 – March 30, 1967) was an American folksinger and folklorist who was prominent in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a master's degree in Folklore, Clayton specialized in traditional music, primarily New England sea shanties and ballads as well as Appalachian songs. He became interested in the first of these as a youngster and began playing guitar as a teen. While attending college, he expanded his interests to include the music of Virginia and the surrounding states. Within a short time after leaving college, he began recording. His first releases were for a small specialty record company, but in 1956 he joined Folkways Records, the day's leading folk music label. He recorded six solo albums for Folkways from 1956 to 1958, issued albums for a few specialty labels, moved to another prominent folk label, Elektra Records, for two albums in 1958–59, and collaborated with artists such as Jean Ritchie and Dave Van Ronk on other releases. He made his last recording in 1965.

As much a scholar as a musician, Clayton began collecting songs at a young age in his hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts. At the university, he studied under a professor who was a leading folklorist. Soon he was combing the hills and valleys of Virginia and surrounding states for songs that formed the region's musical heritage. In making field recordings, he "discovered" Etta Baker and Hobart Smith, homespun musicians who have come to be regarded as all-time greats.

Clayton became a prominent figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York City during the early 1960s. He was close with artists such as Dave Van Ronk and Liam Clancy and was also a mentor and friend of Bob Dylan during the first years of Dylan's career. A song Clayton wrote was allegedly "borrowed" by Dylan in 1962 as the basis for one of his most famous tunes, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". The resulting lawsuits by their record companies were settled out of court, and the two remained friends for several years afterwards.

Clayton was beset with personal problems in his mid-30s, including frustrations with his career, doubts arising from his homosexuality, manic depression, drug abuse, and a related arrest. He committed suicide in 1967.

Old Joe Clark
Paul Clayton Lyrics

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Used to live in the country
But now I live in town
Stayin' at that big hotel
And courtin' Betsy Brown

Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
Fare you well I'm gone
Fare you well, Old Joe Clark

And goodbye Betsy Brown

Old Joe Clark's a mean old man
The reason I'll tell you why
He cut down his old rail fence
So his cattle could eat my rye

Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
Fare you well I'm gone
Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
And goodbye Betsy Brown

If I had no horse at all
You'd find me down a crawlin'
Up and down this dusty road
Looking for my darling

Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
Fare you well I'm gone
Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
And goodbye Betsy Brown

Old Joe Clark come to my house
I thought he'd come to see me
When I come to find him out
He persuaded my wife to leave me

Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
Fare you well I'm gone

Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
And goodbye Betsy Brown

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Old Joe Clark by Paul Clayton detail the story of a man who used to live in the country but now lives in the town. He is staying at a big hotel and courting Betsy Brown. He bids farewell to Old Joe Clark, who is described as a mean old man because he cut down his old rail fence to feed his cattle with the singer's rye. The singer continues to travel on a dusty road and looks for his darling, admitting that he would even crawl without a horse.

Later in the lyrics, Old Joe Clark comes to the singer's house, and the singer assumes that he has come to see him, but he persuades his wife to leave him. The song conveys a sense of loss and betrayal as the singer bids farewell to Old Joe Clark and Betsy Brown. The repeated line, "Fare you well, Old Joe Clark, Fare you well I'm gone," emphasizes the finality of the character's departure and adds to the melancholic tone of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Used to live in the country
I used to live in a rural environment

But now I live in town
But now I have moved to the city

Stayin' at that big hotel
Currently occupying that massive hotel

And courtin' Betsy Brown
Trying to woo Betsy Brown

Fare you well, Old Joe Clark
Goodbye, Old Joe Clark

Fare you well I'm gone
I am leaving and you may never see me again

And goodbye Betsy Brown
Goodbye to you too, Betsy Brown

Old Joe Clark's a mean old man
Joe Clark is a selfish and unpleasant person

The reason I'll tell you why
I will tell you why

He cut down his old rail fence
Joe Clark destroyed his rail fence

So his cattle could eat my rye
So that his cows could graze on my planted crops