The Man They Called Cotton-Eyed Joe”
[Intro – Spoken, low and slow]
They say he don’t stay long…
Just long enough to change everything…
Then he’s gone.
⸻
[Verse 1]
He came rollin’ in on a dust-blown wind
No past, no name he’d tell
Eyes like smoke and a crooked grin
Like he knew you a little too well
Boots worn down but his step was light
Like he danced with the devil before
Men stood still when he walked on by
Women drifted toward the door
⸻
[Pre-Chorus]
Nobody knew where he came from
Nobody knew where he’d go
But you’d feel it in the room
When they whispered his name low…
⸻
[Chorus]
They called him Cotton-Eyed Joe
A shadow where the lanterns glow
He’d smile once and steal the show
Then take what you love and go
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eyed Joe
Some hearts wouldn’t break so slow
He don’t fight, he don’t beg, don’t plead
He just takes what he needs and goes
⸻
[Verse 2]
There was a man with a ring on his hand
And a girl with a Sunday smile
She was laughin’ soft by the bandstand light
Hadn’t known him but a little while
Joe stepped in with a fiddle cry
And the whole room turned his way
By the end of the night she was gone from sight
And the man had nothin’ to say
⸻
[Pre-Chorus]
No footprints left in the morning
No dust where he used to stand
Just a broken chair and a silent stare
And an empty place where she’d been
⸻
[Chorus]
They called him Cotton-Eyed Joe
A ghost where the wild winds blow
He’d spin you round till you lost control
Then leave you alone and cold
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eyed Joe
Some lives wouldn’t come undone
He don’t promise love, don’t leave a trace
Just vanishes with the one
⸻
[Bridge – Spoken / Whispered]
You ever seen a man take a room without sayin’ a word?
You ever seen a woman forget where she belongs?
That’s him…
That’s always been him…
⸻
[Verse 3]
Years go by and the stories grow
Different towns but the same old tale
Same dark eyes, same sudden goodbye
Same love that always fails
Some say he’s cursed, some say he’s free
Some say he ain’t a man at all
But if he comes when your back’s turned once
You won’t see him when you fall
⸻
[Final Chorus]
They call him Cotton-Eyed Joe
A legend that the night winds know
He don’t stay and he don’t get caught
He just leaves with what you thought
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eyed Joe
You’d still be holdin’ her close
But he came like a storm and he left just as fast
And took what you loved the most
⸻
[Outro – Spoken]
If you hear that fiddle…
You best hold on tight…
