Little Sadie

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Little Sadie is a 20th Century American folk ballad. It is also known variously as "Bad Lee Brown", "Cocaine Blues", "Transfusion Blues" and other titles. It tells the story of a man who is apprehended after shooting his wife/girlfriend. He is then sentenced by a judge.

The earliest written record of the song dates from 1922: the lyric fragment below, transcribed in Joplin, Missouri, is noted in the 1948 book Ozark Folksongs, Vol. II,

Bad Lee Brown

Last night I was a-makin' my rounds,

Met my old woman an' I blowed her down,

I went on home to go to bed,

Put my old cannon right under my head.


Jury says murder in the first degree,

I says oh Lord, have mercy on me!

Old Judge White picks up his pen,

Says you'll never kill no woman ag'in.


Some versions refer to the Sheriff of Thomasville, North Carolina apprehending the murderer in Jericho, South Carolina. Other versions transpose Juarez, Mexico for Jericho.

In the first sound recording (the 1930 recording by Clarence "Tom" Ashley, referenced below), Little Sadie seems to have been a prostitute:


I woke next morning 'bout half past nine,

The buggies and the hacks all (swarmed?) in line,

The pimps and the gamblers all standing around,

They're gonna take Sadie to the burying ground.


This verse does not appear in Ashley's 1963 recording with Doc Watson.

The most common version in country and rock styles is attributed to T. J. 'Red' Arnall's 1947 Western Swing recording with Nichols' Western Aces. This version was covered by Johnny Cash and George Thorogood, among others. The 1970 Bob Dylan versions are taken from either of Clarence Ashley's recordings. The song was recently featured on Greg Graffin's 2006 compilation of American folk and original songs, Cold As The Clay.

[edit] Selected list of recorded versions

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