Frankie and Johnny

by Anonymous

Frankie and Johnny were lovers,

Lordy, how they could love,
Swore to be true to each other,
True as the stars up above,
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to the corner,

To buy her a bucket of beer,
Frankie says, "Mister Bartender,
Has my lovin' Johnny been here?
He is my man, but he's doing me wrong."

"I don't want to cause you no trouble

Don't want to tell you no lie,
I saw your Johnny half-an-hour ago
Making love to Nelly Bly.
He is your man, but he's doing you wrong."

Frankie went down to the hotel

Looked over the transom so high,
There she saw her lovin' Johnny
Making love to Nelly Bly
He was her man; he was doing her wrong.

Frankie threw back her kimono,

Pulled out her big forty-four;
Rooty-toot-toot: three times she shot
Right through that hotel door,
She shot her man, who was doing her wrong.

"Roll me over gently,

Roll me over slow,
Roll me over on my right side,
'Cause these bullets hurt me so,
I was your man, but I done you wrong."

Bring all your rubber-tired hearses,

Bring all your rubber-tired hacks,
They're carrying poor Johnny to the burying ground
And they ain't gonna bring him back,
He was her man, but he done her wrong.
Frankie says to the sheriff,
"What are they going to do?"
The sheriff he said to Frankie,
"It's the 'lectric chair for you.
He was your man, and he done you wrong."

"Put me in that dungeon,

Put me in that cell,
Put me where the northeast wind
Blows from the southeast corner of hell,
I shot my man, cause he done me wrong."

https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/frankie-and-johnny accessed January 31, 2023

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Frankie And Johnnie

Frankie and Johnnie were lovers,

O, my Gawd, how they could love,
They swore to be true to each other,
As true as the stars above;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie was a good woman,

As everybody knows,
Gave her man a hundred dollars,
To get him a suit of clothes;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie and Johnnie went walking,

Johnnie in his bran' new suit,
"Oh, my Gawd," said Frankie,
"But don't my Johnnie look cute?"
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to Memphis,

Went on the morning train,
Paid a hundred dollars,
Got Johnnie a watch and chain;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie lived in a crib-house,

Crib-house with only two doors,
Gave her money to Johnnie,
He spent it on those parlour whores;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to the corner,

Went for a bucket of beer,
She said, "Oh, Mr. Bar-tender,
Has my loving Johnnie been here?
He is my man, and he's done me wrong."

"I won't make you no trouble,

I won't tell you no lie,
But I saw Johnnie an hour ago
With a girl named Nellie Bly;
He is your man, and he's doing you wrong."

Frankie went to the hock-shop,

Bought her a big forty-four,
Aimed that gun at the ceiling,
Shot a big hole in the floor;
"Now where's my man that's doing me wrong?"

Frankie went down to the hook-shop,

Looked in at a window so high,
There she saw her Johnnie,
Loving up Nellie Bly,
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie went up to the front door,

She rang the front-door bell,
Said, "Stand back, all you chippies,
Or I'll blow you all to hell;
I want my man, who's done me wrong."

Frankie went into the hook-shop,

She didn't go there for fun,
'Cause underneath her kimona
She toted that forty-four gun;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie looked in at the keyhole,

And there before her eye,
She saw her Johnnie on the sofa,
A loving up Nellie Bly;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.
 Frankie threw back her kimona,
Took out the little forty-four,
Roota-toot-toot, three times she shoot,
Right through that hardwood door;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Johnnie grabbed off his Stetson,

Said, "Oh, Gawd, Frankie, don't shoot!"
But she pressed hard on the trigger,
And the gun went roota-toot-toot;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

"Roll me over easy,

Oh, roll me over slow,
Roll me over on my right side,
'Cause my left side hurts me so."
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

"Bring out your rubber-tyred buggy,

Bring out your rubber-tyred hack,
I'll take my man to the graveyard,
But I won't bring him back;
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

They brought out the rubber-tyred hearses,

They brought out the rubber-tyred hack,
Thirteen men went to the graveyard,
But only twelve came back;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

"Bring 'round a hundred policemen,

Bring 'em around to-day,
And lock me in that jail-house,
Then throw the key away;
I shot my man, 'cause he done me wrong.

"I've saved up a little money,

I'll save up a little more,
I'll send it all to his widow,
And say it's from the girl next door;
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

Frankie went to the madame,

She fell down on her knees,
"Forgive me, Mrs. Halcome,
Forgive me, if you please;
 I've killed my man, 'cause he done me wrong."

"Forgive you, Frankie darling?

Forgive you I never can.
Forgive you, Frankie darling,
For shooting your only man?
For he was your man, though he done you wrong."

Frankie went to the coffin,

Looked down at his face,
Said, "Oh, Lord, have mercy on me,
I'd like to take his place;
He was my man, but he done me wrong."

A rubber-tyred buggy,
A rubber-tyred hack,
Took poor Frankie to the jail-house
But it didn't bring her back;
He was her man, but he done her wrong.

Frankie sat in her prison,

Had no electric fan,
Told her little sister,
Never marry no sporting man;
"I had a man, but he done me wrong."

The Sheriff took Frankie to the gallows,

Hung her until she died,
They hung her for killing Johnnie,
And the undertaker waited outside;
She killed her man, 'cause he done her wrong.

https://allpoetry.com/Frankie-And-Johnnie accessed April 12, 2023

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