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Sunday, June 27, 2021

frankie and clancy


by horace p sternwall



frankie went down to the station
to see johnny off to the wars
she was trailed by shefiff clancy brown
to see if she was breaking any laws

the sheriff had a passion for frankie
that burned like the midnight sun
he could have any woman in new orleans
but thought frankie was the only one

the train pulled out of the station
and frankie waved johnny goodbye
the sheriff stood in the shadows
with a gleam in his bloodshot eye


frankie went back to the bar room
with a knife stuck in her shoe
if the sheriff gave her any trouble
she knew what she had to do

frankie ordered a whiskey
with the money she earned so hard
the gypsy was playing solitaire
and turned over another card

any man could have frankie for a dollar
but the richest man in the world
would sell his soul to possess her
because she was that kind of girl

there were only three men in the world
that frankie would not entertain
the first was her evil stepfather
who was also the emperor of spain

the second was the richest man in the world
who had sent her to finishing school
and the third was sheriff clancy brown
because he was a natural fool

why was i born, thought clancy
if all my dreams go up in smoke
why am i destined to walk the streets
the butt of every rounder’s joke?


why was this creature created
to destroy my peace of mind?
who set her loose upon the earth?
that is what i wish to find

be that as it may, he thought
i have only one road to ride
clancy entered the bar room
with his pistol at his side

frankie, who could read any man’s mind
was ready to play her part
she hurled her knife across the room
straight into clancy’s heart

they carried clancy to the graveyard
in a coffin made of wood
no one can escape their fate
clancy finally understood

the jury took fifteen minutes
to set poor frankie free
she went back to waiting for johnny
because such was her destiny



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