Lyrics

Little Jesse was a gambler, night and day He used crooked cards and dice He was a sinful guy; good-hearted, but he had no soul His heart was hard and cold like ice Jesse was a wild, reckless gambler, won a gang of change Although many a gambler's heart he left in vain Little Jesse began to spend and lose his money, began to be blue His heart had even turned to stone What broke Jesse's heart while he was blue and all alone Sweet Lorena had packed up and gone Police walked up and shot my friend Jesse down Boy, he's gotta to die today He had a gang of crapshooters and gamblers at his bedside Here are the words he had to say: Guess I ought to know how I wanna go (How you wanna go, man?) Nine crapshooters to be my pallbearers Let 'em be veiled down in black Nine men going to the graveyard, bubba But eight men comin back I want a gang of gamblers gathered on my coffin-side Crooked card printed on my hearse Don't say the crapshooters'll never grieve over me My life been a doggone curse Send poker players to the graveyard Dig my grave with the ace of spades Twelve polices in my funeral With the sheriff playin' blackjack in the parade I want the judge and soliciter who jailed me 14 times Put a pair of dice in my shoes Let a deck of cards be my tombstone I got the dyin' crapshooter's blues Sixteen real good crapshooters Sixteen bootleggers to sing a song Nine racket men gamblin' Couple tend bar while i'm rollin' along He wanted 22 women outta the Hamilton Hotel 26 off-a South Bell 29 women outta North Atlanta Know that little Jesse didn't pass out so swell His head was achin', heart was thumpin' Jesse went to hell bouncin' and jumpin' Folks, don't be standin' around ole Jesse cryin' He wants everybody to do the charleston whilst he dyin' One foot up, a toenail dragging Threw my buddy Jesse in the hoodoo wagon Come now, mama, with that can of booze The dyin crapshooter's leavin' the world The dyin' crapshooter's goin' down slow With the dyin' crapshooter's blues