C
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
G
'Long comes Brady in his 'lectric car
Got a mean look right in his eye
C
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to watch him die
F C
He been on the job too long
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
'Long came Brady with his shiny star
"Duncan," said Brady, "you are under arrest"
Duncan shot a hole right in Brady's chest
He been on the job too long.
Old King Brady was a big, fat man
Doctor looked down, and took hold of his hand
reached for his pulse, the doctor said
"I believe to my soul, king Brady, you're dead"
He been on the job too long
Up upon the hillside, eight hundred at hand,
vases of roses standing around
[...] horses and a rubber-tired hack
bring him down to the graveyard, it won't bring him back.
He been on the job too long
When the women all heard King Brady was dead,
They went home and they'd be re-ragged in red *)
Slippin' and a-slidin', shuffelin' down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet.
He been on the job too long
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
breakin' in here when this game's goin' on
Bustin' down the window, tearin' down the door
Now you lyin' dead on the barroom floor
You been on the job too long."
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
'Long comes Brady in his 'lectric car
Got a mean look in his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to watch him die
He been on the job too long.
G C
He been on the job too long.
*) Tom Rush: “[They] all went home, [and they] re-ragged in red”.
Leadbelly’s version
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, little star
Up comes Brady in a ‘lectric car
Got a mean look all ‘round his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus’ to see them die
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
In walked Brady with a shining star
And Brady says, Duncan you are under arrest
And Duncan shot a hole in Brady’s breast
Brady, Brady carried a .45,
Said it would shoot half a mile
Duncan had a .44
That what laid Mr. Brady so low
Brady fell down on the barroom floor,
Please Mr. Duncan don’ shoot me no more
Women all cryin’, ain’t it a shame,
Shot King Brady, goin’ shoot him again
Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
Walkin’ in the room when the game was goin’ on
Knockin’ down windows, breakin’ down the door
Now you lyin’ dead on the grocery [barroom] floor
Women all heard that Brady was dead,
Goes back home and they dresses in red
Come a sniffin’ and a sighin’ down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin’ feet
‘Cause he been on the job too long