Frankie And Albert
Taj Mahal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord how they could love
Vowed to love one another
Baby 'neath the stars above
It was her man and he was doin' her wrong
Frankie went down to the bar room
To get herself a bucket of beer
Say hey has my lovely man been here?
It was my man, an' he was doing me wrong
Bartender said "Ms Frankie
Honey I can't tell you no lie
He left here about an hour ago
With that hussie named Nelly Bly
It was your man, he was doing you wrong"
Frankie, she cried, she cried, she cried
Lord what have I done?
I done give lovin' to this man
He took my love and run
It was my man, and he was doing me wrong
Albert saw Frankie comin', He say
"Oh Lord baby, don't you shoot
Well you know, out from under that red kimono"
The gun went rootie toot toot
She shot that man 'cause he was doin' her wrong
Boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo
Frankie say baby what have I done?
You know I shot the only man I loved a cold 41
It was my man an' he was doin' me wrong
Play it for a while
High Sheriff come clippety, clippety, clippety, clippety
Clippety, clippety, clippety the trail
I say, "Look here Frankie I'm gon' tell ya'
You done shot yo' man,
I'm gon' hafta' put cha in da' county jail"
Talkin' 'bout that man an' he was doin' her wrong
Frankie she laid in da' jail house
Now ya' know there ain't no one to go her bail
But 'cha know big Jim say honey
"I'm workin' on you, try to get you outta that jail"
Tell about yo' man 'cause he was doin' you wrong
An' our story go on
Frankie an' Albert were sweethearts
Lord how they could love
Vowed to love one another
Underneath the stars above
Talkin' 'bout that man an' he was doin' her wrong
"Frankie and Albert" is a traditional American song that tells the story of Frankie shooting her lover Albert after finding out that he has been cheating on her with another woman named Nelly Bly. In the first verse, we learn that Frankie and Albert are deeply in love, but Albert has been unfaithful to her. Frankie goes to the bar to ask the bartender if Albert has been there, and he tells her that Albert has left with Nelly. This revelation devastates Frankie, and she is left to consider what she should do next.
The chorus features Frankie's emotional response to the betrayal, as she cries and wonders what she has done to deserve this treatment. When Albert sees Frankie coming, he attempts to talk her out of shooting him, but it's too late, and she kills him in a fit of rage. Frankie is arrested and sent to jail, where she waits for Big Jim to hopefully come to her rescue.
The story of Frankie and Albert is a classic example of a "murder ballad," a genre of folk music that tells tales of violent crimes and their consequences. The song's origins are unclear, but it may have been based on a real-life murder case that took place in St. Louis in the late 19th century. Over the years, the song has been recorded by many different artists, including Lead Belly, Mississippi John Hurt, and Taj Mahal.
Line by Line Meaning
Frankie and Albert were sweethearts
Frankie and Albert were deeply in love
Lord how they could love
Their love was passionate and intense
Vowed to love one another
They promised to love each other forever
Baby 'neath the stars above
They made this promise under the night sky
It was her man and he was doin' her wrong
Albert was cheating on Frankie
Frankie went down to the bar room
Frankie went to the bar to find Albert
To get herself a bucket of beer
She ordered a beer to calm herself down
Say hey to da' lone bartender
Frankie greeted the only bartender in the bar
Say hey has my lovely man been here?
Frankie asked the bartender if Albert had been there
It was my man, an' he was doing me wrong
The bartender confirmed that Albert had been there and was cheating on Frankie
Bartender said 'Ms Frankie Honey I can't tell you no lie
The bartender couldn't hide the truth from Frankie
He left here about an hour ago
Albert had only just left the bar
With that hussie named Nelly Bly
Albert left with another woman
Frankie, she cried, she cried, she cried
Frankie was devastated by the news
Lord what have I done?
Frankie regretted giving her love to Albert
I done give lovin' to this man
Frankie had given her love to a man who didn't deserve it
He took my love and run
Albert took advantage of Frankie's love and left her
It was my man, and he was doing me wrong
Albert was still cheating on Frankie
Albert saw Frankie comin', He say
Albert saw Frankie approaching and spoke to her
'Oh Lord baby, don't you shoot
Albert begged Frankie not to shoot him
Well you know, out from under that red kimono'
Albert made a disrespectful comment about Frankie's clothing
The gun went rootie toot toot
Frankie shot Albert
She shot that man 'cause he was doin' her wrong
Frankie shot Albert because he was cheating on her
Boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo
Frankie was crying and upset
Frankie say baby what have I done?
Frankie realized the gravity of her actions
You know I shot the only man I loved a cold 41
Frankie realizes that she killed the man she loved
High Sheriff come clippety, clippety, clippety, clippety
The sheriff approached the scene quickly
Clippety, clippety, clippety the trail
The sound of the sheriff's footsteps could be heard
I say, 'Look here Frankie I'm gon' tell ya'
The sheriff addressed Frankie
You done shot yo' man,
The sheriff accused Frankie of shooting Albert
I'm gon' hafta' put cha in da' county jail
The sheriff was going to put Frankie in jail
Tell about yo' man 'cause he was doin' you wrong
The reason for Frankie's arrest was Albert's infidelity
Frankie she laid in da' jail house
Frankie was sent to jail
Now ya' know there ain't no one to go her bail
Frankie was stuck in jail without anyone to bail her out
But 'cha know big Jim say honey
Frankie's friend Big Jim was going to help her
'I'm workin' on you, try to get you outta that jail'
Big Jim was going to try and get Frankie out of jail
An' our story go on
The story of Frankie and Albert's tragic love affair continues
Frankie an' Albert were sweethearts
Frankie and Albert were deeply in love
Lord how they could love
Their love was passionate and intense
Vowed to love one another
They promised to love each other forever
Underneath the stars above
They professed their love under the night sky
Talkin' 'bout that man an' he was doin' her wrong
Their love was destroyed by Albert's infidelity
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind