If you’ve been looking for Old Joe Clark lyrics, especially if you’d like to print them out, then you’re on the right page!
“Old Joe Clark” is an old folk tune from the U.S.A.
On this page you’ll find the lyrics of the song and a printable PDF file with lyrics for free download. You can also watch two music videos: a sing-along video and an instrumental recording of the song. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
- Printable Old Joe Clark Lyrics PDF
- Old Joe Clark Lyrics
- Old Joe Clark Lyrics – Alternate Choruses
- Music Videos
- Old Joe Clark Song Information
Printable Old Joe Clark Lyrics PDF
Click on the button to download a PDF file with lyrics to this song for free.
Old Joe Clark Lyrics
We have collected for you some of the most well known verses that are sung today. Since it’s a piece of traditional music, you may find various recordings, where the number as well as the order of the verses may have been altered.
Chorus:
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- Old Joe Clarke the preacher’s son
Preached all over the plain,
The only text he ever used
Was high low jack and the game.
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- Old Joe Clark, he had a mule
Her name was Morgan Brown,
Every tooth in that mule’s head
Was sixteen inches ’round!
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- Old Joe Clark had a yellow cat
She would neither sing nor play,
Stuck her head in the buttermilk jar
And washed her cares away.
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- Old Joe Clarke he had a dog
As blind as he could be
Chased a redbug ’round a stump
And a coon up a hollow tree
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- Old Joe Clark, he had a house
Fifteen stories high,
Every story in that house
Was filled with chicken pie!
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- I went down to Old Joe’s house
He invited me to supper,
Stubbed my toe on the table leg
And stuck my nose in the butter!
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- I went down to old Joe’s house
Old Joe wasn’t at home
I ate up all of old Joe’s meat
And left old Joe the bone
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- I wish I had a sweetheart
I’d put her on a shelf,
And every time she’d smile at me,
I’d get up there myself.
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- Don’t ever marry Old Joe Clark,
I’ll tell you the reason why:
He blows his nose in old corn bread,
And calls it pumpkin pie!
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well, I say
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I’m goin’ away.
- I used to live on mountaintop
But now I live in town
I’m boarding at the big hotel
Courting Betsy Brown
Old Joe Clark Lyrics – Alternate Choruses
Version 1
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Fare thee well I’m gone
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Goodbye Betsy Brown.
Version 2
Round and round, old Joe Clarke
Round and round, I say
Round and round, old Joe Clarke
I ain’t got long to stay.
Version 3
Fare thee well, old Joe Clarke
Fare thee well, I say
He’d follow me ten thousand miles
To hear my fiddle play
Version 4
Fare-the-well Old Joe Clark,
goodbye Mitsy Brow-owww-owwwn
Fare-the-well Old Joe Clark,
I’m gonna leave this town
See also our article on the 36 Most Popular Folk Song Lyrics from All Over the World
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Music Videos
Sing-along Video
Instrumental Video
Old Joe Clark Song Information
“Old Joe Clark” is an American fiddle tune that is well-known throughout the United States. It that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I. The origins of the song date back to the 19th century, although there is no written evidence of it before 1900. Though the years, almost 90 different verses and several choruses have been added to the tune, to only prove its great popularity.
The character of “Joe Clark” is thought to be a real person named Joseph Clark (1839-1885), who was born and lived in Kentucky. He may have been a mountaineer, a moonshiner in the Virginia hills, a veteran of the War of 1812, or a banjo player.
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