Hey Joe
The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter Lyrics

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of your hand
Hey Joe, where are you planning to take that gun you're holding?

Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh
Hey Joe, I'm asking again, where are you going with that gun of yours?

I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
I'm heading to shoot my wife, as I caught her cheating on me.

You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
I found out that she was having an affair with another man.

Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
Yes, my plan is to use the gun and kill her.

You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Again, I'm sure that my wife was having an affair with another man.

Huh! and that ain't cool
This is not acceptable or right by any means.

Huh hey hoe, I heard you shot your mama down
Hey Joe, I heard you killed your mother with a gun.

You shot her down now
You shot and killed her with that same gun.

Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
Hey Joe, I also heard that you shot and killed your wife with that gun.

You shot her down in the ground yeah!
You ended her life and buried her in the earth's soil.

Yes, I did, I shot her
Yes, I did use that gun and kill her in cold blood.

You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
As previously stated, I found out my wife was being unfaithful behind my back.

Huh, yes I did I shot her
I went ahead and took the drastic step of pulling the trigger and killing her anyways.

You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
Once more, I caught my woman engaging in romantic activities with another man in the city.

And I gave her the gun
As a response to her disloyalty and betrayal, I provided her with the lethal weapon used in her murder.

And I shot her
I used that weapon to end her existence.

Hey Joe, Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Hey Joe, now what is your plan following these heinous acts of violence?

Hey Joe, I said Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Again, I'm asking where you are going to take yourself considering your actions.

I'm goin' way down south
I'm heading far down to the South.

Way down to Mexico way
Specifically, I am traveling to Mexico.

I'm goin' way down south
I'm taking refuge in a place far away from the crime scene.

Way down where I can be free
My destination holds the promise of freedom and safety from justice.

Ain't no one gonna find me
I predict that it's unlikely anyone will locate me down there.

Ain't no hang-man gonna
Additionally, no executioner will be able to put the noose around my neck.

He ain't gonna put a rope around me
This person will not succeed in punishing me for my criminal activity.

You better believe it right now
This is the undeniable truth of the situation.

I gotta go now
I must depart to fully execute my plan and avoid getting caught.

Hey, Joe
Once more, addressing the central figure of interest within this song.

You better run on down
You must leave this area now and begin your journey to evade the law.

Goodbye everybody
With that, Joe is bidding his final farewell to everyone around him.

Hey hey Joe
Closing with a final statement of address to the man who committed this crime.