Electric Chair Blues

Judge your honor, hear my plea, before you open up your court
But I don't want no sympathy, 'cause I done cut my good man's throat
I caught him with a trifling Jane I warned him 'bout before
I had my knife and went insane, and the rest you ought to know
Judge, judge, please mister judge, send me to the 'lectric chair
Judge, judge, hear my plea, you can fry me 'cause I don't care
I cut him with my Barlow, I kicked him in the side
I stood there laughin' o’er him while he wobbled round and died
Oh judge, judge, lordy lordy judge, send me to the 'lectric chair
Judge, judge, hear me judge, send me to the 'lectric chair
I wanna take a journey to the devil down below
I done killed my man, I wanna reap just what I sow
Don't want no bonded man to go my bail
Don't wanna spend no ninety-nine years in jail
Judge, judge, good kind judge, send me to the 'lectric chair

Bessie Smith





Andy Warhol, Electric Chair, 1967