| You might come to understand
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| Why I’m old and bent and devil’s been runnin' out of time
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| When I long ago held a royal flush in my hand.
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| Oh, I was a super market fool, I was a roll-the-bank, a Stool pigeon,
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| Robbing my hometown
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| I thought I’d lost the blues, yes, I thought I’d paid my dues
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| I thought I’d found the life to suit my style
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| But here I sit ol' Spider John
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| The robber man
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| Long, tall and handsome
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| Yes, ol' Spider John with the loaded hand
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| Taking ransom
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| Then one day I met Diamond Lil
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| She was the sweetest thing, I declare,
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| That the summer breeze ever blown my way
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| But, lady, she had no idea my illustrious occupation
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| She thought I was a saint, not a sinner gone astray
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| But you see that word got around and Lily left town
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| Never saw her again
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| Tossin' and turnin', causin' my heart to grieve
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| Oh, I was a super market fool, I was roll-the-bank, stool pigeon
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| Robbing my hometown.
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| I thought I’d lost my blues, thought I’d paid my dues
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| I thought I’d found the life to suit my style.
|
| But here I sit ol' Spider John,
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| The robber man
|
| Long, tall and handsome
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| Yes, ol' Spider John with the loaded hand
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| Taking ransom
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| That is all my story
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| Been these thirty years since I took to the road
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| Find my precious jewel one
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| If you see my Lily, won’t you give her my regards
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| Tell her ol' Spider got tangled
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| In the black web that he spun
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| You can tell her that ol' Spider got tangled
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| In the black web that he spun |