Hold Me Back Lyrics - Michelle Shocked

Frankie was a good woman 

Everybody knows 

She gave her man Johnny a hundred dollar bill 

Just to buy one suit of clothes 

Frankie went down to the barroom 

She ordered herself one glass of beer 

She asked that bartending man 

"Tell me, has my sweet Johnny been here?" 

He said, "Frankie, I ain't gonna tell you no stories" 

He said, "Frankie, I ain't gonna tell you no lie" 

He said, "Frankie, I saw Johnny about one hour ago 

He was heading over, going to see Miss Nellie Bly" 

She cried, "Hold me back 

Hold me back, take away my gun 

Hold me back, hold me back 

Somebody, won't you please hold me back 

Don't let me do what must be done" 

Frankie went on over to that coke joint 

She stood outside, she rang that bell 

She said, "Alright, Johnny, you're my loving man 

And if I find you in here I'm gonna shoot you 

I'm gonna shoot you sure as hell" 

Sure enough there Johnny was with Nellie Bly 

He sees the gun in Frankie's hand, he says 

"Frankie, don't shoot, I swear I won't treat you wrong no more" 

That's for sure, 'cause by the time she was done with that gun 

Her man was not gonna treat her wrong no more 

Roll out your rubber tired carriages 

Roll out your rubber tired hacks 

There's twelve men going to the graveyard 

There's only eleven men coming back