Willis Alan Ramsey The Ballad of Spider John Spider John is my name, friends I’m in between freights, and I sure would be obliged if I could share your company. I’m on my way to nowhere; I been runnin’ from my past, runnin’ from the things I used to be. Now I know my words sound strange to you but if you’ll wait till my song is sung and my story’s told you might come to understand why I’m old and bent and devil spent, and a-runnin’ out of time when not long ago I held a royal flush in my hand. Chorus: Oh, I was a supermarket fool; I was a motorbank stool pigeon, Robbin’ my own time. I thought I’d lost my blues, yes, I thought I’d paid my dues and I thought I'd found a life to suit my style. And I was Spider John, the robberman long, tall, and handsome, Yes, I was Spider John with a loaded hand, takin’ ransom. And then one day I met Diamond Lil and she was as sweet a thing, I declare, as the summer wind had ever blown my way. But Lil she had no idea of my illustrious occupation, she thought I was a saint not a sinner gone astray Spider he loved his Lily so much, he could not confess his sins for he knew if he did the lady would surely take her leave. But you know that the word got around and Lily left town and he never saw her again, Tossin’ and turnin’ causin’ his heart to grieve. Chorus That is all my story. It's been these thirty years since I took the road to find my precious jewel one. Now if you see my Lily, won’t you give her my regards, tell her old Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun You can tell her that Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun.