Battle Of New Orleans Lyrics - Singles - Seeger Pete

BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS 

(Jimmy Driftwood; tune: Eighth of January, trad.) 

Well, in 18 and 14, we took a little trip 

Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Missisip 

We took a little bacon and we took a little beans 

And we met the bloody British in the town of New Orleans 

We fired our guns and the British kept a comin' 

There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago 

We fired once more and they began a running 

Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico 

Well, I seed Marse Jackson come a-walkin' down the street 

And a-talkin' to a pirate by the name of Jean Lafitte; 

He gave Jean a drink that he brung from Tennessee, 

And the pirate said he'd help us drive the British to the sea. 

Well the French told Andrew, "You had better run 

For Packenham's a=comin' with a bullet in his gun." 

Old Hickory said he didn't give a damn 

He's a-gonna whup the britches off of Colonel Packenham. 

Well, we looked down the river and we seed the British come 

And there must have been a hundred of them beating on the drum 

They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring 

While we stood behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing 

Old Hickory said we could take em by surprise 

If we didn't fire a musket till we looked em in the eyes 

We held our fire till we seed their face well 

Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave em well.. 

Well they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles 

And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go 

They ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch em 

Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico 

Well we fired our cannons till the barrels melted down 

So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round 

We filled his head with minie balls and powdered his behind 

And when we touched the powder off, the 'gator lost his mind 

They lost their pants and their pretty shiny coats 

And their tails was all a-showin' like a bunch of billy goats. 

They ran down the river with their tongues a-hanging out 

And they said they got a lickin', which there wasn't any doubt. 

Well we marched back to town in our dirty ragged pants 

And we danced all night with the pretty girls from France; 

We couldn't understand 'em, but they had the sweetest charms 

And we understood 'em better when we got 'em in our arms. 

Well, the guide who brung the British from the sea 

Come a-limping into camp just as sick as he could be, 

He said the dying words of Colonel Packenham 

Was, "You better quit your foolin' with your cousin Uncle Sam." 

Well, we'll march back home, but we'll never be content 

Till we make Old Hick'ry the people's president. 

And every time we think about the bacon and the beans 

We'll think about the fun we had way down in New Orleans. 

Copyright Warden Music Co., Inc. 

recorded by Pete Seeger, Jimmy Driftwood, and Johnny Horton 

filename[ BATNEWOR 

RG 

===DOCUMENT BOUNDARY===