The first time I saw carrie brown

She was so young and fair

A voice like spring rain fallin down and sunlight in her hair

Id never seen her face before so I asked all around

Her daddy owns a grocery store and she lives in bristol town

Carrie darlin carrie carrie brown I cry

If I can't marry carrie brown believe Id rather die

I laid my last ten dollars down

Though I didn't need a thing

Just to touch sweet carrie brown

When she handed me my change

I hung around till closin time I scarce believed my eyes

My darlin walkin arm in arm

With a boy named billy wise

I walked around in bristol town a bitter broken man

A heart that pined for carrie brown and a pistol in my hand

We met again on state street poor billy wise and me

I shot him in virginia and he died in tennessee

Now I'm down in the bristol jail and all I do is cry

Cause the jury found me guilty and the judge says I must die

I'm just a poor young mountain boy

Ain't never been to town

And I've come to ruination for the love of carrie brow