Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey, I cry, If I don't get rye whiskey, I surely will die.

voiceSung by Nell Ironside Prarie Grove, Ark. July 15, 1965 Reel 373 Item 3 Collected by Nell Ironside For M.C. Parler (Folklore Class Sing-A-Bout) Transcribed by Linda Humphrey Rye Whiskey Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey, I cry, If I don't get rye whiskey, I surely will die. I'll tune up my fiddle and rosin my bow, I'll make myself welcome wherever I go. Hiccup! Oh Lordy, how bad I do feel, Hiccup! Oh Lordy, how bad I do feel. My horses ain't hungry; they won't eat their hay So drive on Pretty Polly, and speed on your way. Way out on green mountain, I'm lost and alone, And drunk as the devil and a long way from home. Hiccup! Oh, Lordy, how bad I do feel, Hiccup! Oh lordy, how bad I do feel.Rye Whiskey continued If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck, I'd dive to the bottom and nver come up. But the ocean ain't whiskey, and I ain't a duck; So play the jack of diamonds and cussed be my luck. Hiccup! Oh Lordy, how bad I do feel, Hiccup! Oh Lordy, how bad I do feel. If the ocean was whiskey, and I was a coon, I'd dive to the bottom and start a saloon. Hiccup! Oh Lordy, how bad I do feel, Hiccup! Oh Lordy, how bad I do feel. Nell Ironside learned this from Lovey Bouque, who learned it rom her husband. He claims he has another version that will curl the paper.Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation