Am	C	G	Am	G	Am 	Em	G 
 
Am	C	G	Am 
 
I went down to Taneytown, I went down to Taneytown 
 
	Am	G	Am	Em G 
 
To see what I could see 
 
	Am	C	G	Am 
 
My mama told me never go, I?m damned near twenty-two years old 
 
	Am	G	Am	Em G 
 
Some times I feel this hollow swallowing me. 
 
Ma went off to Gettysburg, her and that new beau of hers, I snuck off after dark. 
 
It?s a long way down the Canny Road, the stars were bright & the moon was low, 
 
Down where the blacktop highway starts. 
 
Chorus: 
 
I went down to Taneytown, I went down to Taneytown, 
 
I went down to see what I could see. 
 
Now everybody stared at me, you?d think that they ain?t never seen, 
 
A colored boy before. 
 
Well, they jumped at me and they called me names,  
 
they?d a whupped me sure, but the sheriff came, 
 
I slipped off and ran through the drygoods store. 
 
I ran down Division Street, but some of them boys followed me, 
 
Down to the railroad track. 
 
There was four of them & I came five, but I got my old Randall knife, 
 
I cut that boy & I never did look back. 
 
Chorus