Dying Crapshooter's Blues

DESCRIPTION: Police shoot crapshooter Jessie. Friends gather at his bedside to hear his last words. He wants eight crapshooters for pall bearers and all the usual elaborate trappings. Place "a crooked card" on his hearse. Dig his grave with "the ace of spades"
AUTHOR: Blind Willie McTell
EARLIEST DATE: 1940 (USWMcTell01)
KEYWORDS: burial death drowning dying funeral gambling police
FOUND IN:
Roud #17561
RECORDINGS:
Blind Willie McTell, "Dying Crapshooter's Blues" (on USWMcTell01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Unfortunate Rake" (theme, floating verses) and references there
cf. "Saint James Infirmary" (theme, floating verses)
NOTES [23 words]: McTell says he made this song, which is far from a lament. Otherwise, it fits the pattern of "The Unfortunate Rake" and all its offspring. - BS
Last updated in version 5.0
File: RcDyCrBl

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