I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground by Bascom Lamar Lunsford on banjo
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I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground by Bascom Lamar Lunsford on banjo
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Lyrics
I wish I was a mole in the ground
Yes I wish I was a mole in the ground
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down
And I wish I was a mole in the ground
Oh Tippy wants a nine dollar shawl
Yes Tippy wants a nine dollar shawl
I come o'er the hill with a forty dollar bill
Baby where you been so long
I been in the bend so long
Yes I been in the bend so long
I been in the bend with the rough and rowdy men
Baby where you been so long
Oh I don't like a railroad man
No I don't like a railroad man
If I's a railroad man they'll kill you when he can
Drink up your blood like wine
Oh I wish I was a lizard in the spring
Yes I wish I was a lizard in the spring
If I's a lizard in the spring I'd hear my darlin' sing
And I wish I was a lizard in the spring
Oh Capie let your hair roll down
Capie let your hair roll down
Let your hair roll down and your bangs curl round
Oh Capie let your hair roll down
I wish I was a mole in the ground
Yes I wish I was a mole in the ground
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down
And I wish I was a mole in the ground
Recording notes
from archive.org (http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collection=opensource_audio&collectionid=Mole):
- Recorded in April 1928 in Ashland, Kentucky. Another banjo tune with lyrics that could be from any one of a number of tunes, and which have no apparent logical relationship with each other. This particular tune, which became a folkie staple during the Great Folk Scare, is related to tunes known as "Tempie," "Darling Where Have You Been So Long," "Sammie, Where Have You Been So Long," and "I Don't Like No Railroad Man." In "When We Were Good: The Folk Revival" Robert Cantwell says: "Listen to 'I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground' again and again, learn to play the banjo and sing it yourself over and over, study every printed version, squander your time in the bargain, and you still won't fathom it." He's right.
