Black water hattie lived back in the swamp
where the strange green reptiles crawl
snakes hang thick from the cypress trees
like sausage on a smokehouse wall
where the swamp is alive with a thousand eyes
anand' all of them watching you
stay off the track to hattieand's shack in the back of the black bayou
Way up the road from hattieand's shack
lies a sleepy little okeechobee town
talk of swamp witch hattie lock you in when the sun go down
rumours of what sheand'd done, rumours of what sheand'd do
kept folks off the track of hattieand's shack
in the back of the black bayou
One day brought the rain and the rain stayed on
and the swamp water overflowed
and'skeeters and the fever grabbed the town like a fist
doctor jackson was the first to go
some say the plague wasa brought by hattie
there was talk of a hangand'n too
but the talk got shackled by the howls and the cackles
from the bowels of the black bayou
Early one morn and'tween dark and dawn when shadows filled the sky
there came an unseen caller on a town where road run dry
youand'd swear there was found a big black round
vat full of gurgling brew
Whispering sounds as the folk gathered round
andquot;it came from the black bayouandquot;
there ainand't much pride when youand're trapped inside
a slowly sinkand'n ship
scooped up the liquid deep and green
and the whole town took a sip
fever went away and the very next day the skies again were blue
letand's thank old hattie for savand'n our town
weand'll fetch her from the black bayou
Party of ten of the townand's best men headed for hattieand's shack
said swamp witch magic was useful and good
and theyand're gonna bring hattie back
never found hattie and they never found the shack
never made the trip back in
there was a parchment note they found tacked to a stump
said donand't come lookand'n again.
