I had a home down in Texas,

voiceCollected by Mary Celestia Parler; Transcribed by Neil Byer Mrs. Christine Harvey Fayetteville, Ark. January 29, 1954 Reel 199, Item 9 Mother, The Queen Of My Heart I had a home down in Texas, Down where the blue bonnets grew, I had the kindest old mother, We were happy, just we two Till one night the death angels called her, A debt that we all have to pay, She called me close to her bedside, These last few words to say. Son, don't start drinking and gambling, Promise you'll always go straight; Ten years have passed since that promise, That promise I broke, I must say, I started gambling for a pastime Soon I was just like them all, I bet all my clothes and my money, Never dreaming that I'd ever fall. Till one night I bet all my money And nothing was left to be seen, I needed the card that would beat them, Just one, and that was a queen; The cards were dealt round the table, Each man took a card on the draw, I drew the card that would beat them, I turned it down and here's what I saw. I saw my mother's picture, Somehow it seemed to say, Son, you have broken your promise, So I tossed the cards away, And I gave my winnings to a newsboy, I knew I was wrong from the start, And I'll never forget that sweet promise To Mother, the queen of my heart.Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation