Deford Rides Again Lyrics by Old Crow Medicine Show
DeFord was a man from Castlewood, Tenn’
Blowed on that harp both night and day
How he wailed on them reeds till his lips would bleed
Played till the Lord knows when
Just a little baby boy with a silver toy
And the polio strikin’ fire and wind
At four foot nine, just one of his kind
The greatest there ever been
Blow, blow, DeFord, blow
Play that Pan-American
Oh, oh, where did he go?
DeFord Bailey rides again
Arise, gals and gents, for the show to commence
There’s a good-nature riot on the air
Little DeFord’s on the loose with them Muscle Shoals Blues
Let the Jim Crow South beware
Like the fox chasin’ game
He was black balled and shamed
Stripped out the silver from his hand
Now, it’s welfare lines and a dollar shine
Singin’, “Oh, Lord, ain’t I a man?”
Blow, blow DeFord, blow
Play that Pan-American
Whoa, oh, where did he go?
DeFord Bailey rides again
Then he played his last note, in The Banner they wrote
“Must have been those Ice Water Blues”
Now, up in Greenwood you’ll find a plot, four foot nine
For our city’s biggest shame, they whitewashed his name
For that kind of sin, there ain’t no excuse
Blow, blow, DeFord, blow
Play that Pan American
Whoa, oh, where did he go?
DeFord Bailey rides again
Blow, blow, DeFord, blow
Playin’ up in glory land
Whoa, oh, where did he go?
DeFord Bailey rides again
DeFord Bailey rides again
DeFord Bailey rides again