Lost John

Gonna tell you the story
 About old lost John
 Lost John was a boy that got loose
 From a chain gang down in Louisiana
 About sixteen bloodhound, took in after him
 Sheriffs, deputies
 And everybody else in the county
 Chasin' him all across the swamp
 Lost John outrun the bloodhounds there
 All night long, it was long towards mornin'
 He looked up to the tree there
 And seen the lights from a house
 He didn't know whether the people inside
 Was friends or were enemies
 So he wanted to go up to the house
 So, and asked if he could stay there
 To get away from the bloodhounds
 He was afraid if he did go up there
 That the people might set their dogs
 Barking at him or shoot him down
 With a Winchester riffle
 This is the story about lost John
 Old lost John ain't lost no more