FOLLOW THE DEAL ON DOWN
(Tom Delaney 1924)

as recorded by Bessie Smith
with Fred Longshaw (piano)
& Buster Bailey  Don Redman (clarinets)
December 6th 1924 New York


Stop rollin' them bones and listen to me!

I had a gamblin' man,
He's hard to understand,
He does give me worries and goin' around.
He was schemin' to his dice,
Couldn't give him no advice,
He'd follow the deal on down!

He was a gambler,
I mean he was a gambler,
And he'd always lay his money down.
If he win or if he lose,
He would never sing the blues,
He passed the deal on down!

He took sick the other day
And his bills I had to pay,
None of his good friends could be found.
Not a penny to his name,
Of course he's not to blame,
Lord, he followed the deal on down!

He was a gambler,
Yes he was a gambler,
And he would always go from town to town.
Gamblin' life he'd crave,
It lays a poor boy in his grave,
He followed the deal on down!
I mean he was a gambler,
And he'd always lay his money down.
If he win or if he lose,
He would 



(Transcribed by Peter Akers - September 2015)