My dollar ain't worth a nickel, my word ain't worth a dime
Spent fifteen years in the cotton fields, every day's like doing time
Before they bury me, before they bury me, I'm gonna take a train to Tennessee
And I don't know why, but I gotta scratch this itch before I die
Gonna settle on down in Memphis, make some money, shiny shoes
When the sun goes down and them girls come out, they're gonna hear me sing the blues
Before they bury me, before they bury me, I'm gonna take a train to Tennessee
And I don't know why, but I gotta scratch this itch before I die
Now they sent me off in fifties to fight for Uncle Sam
But when I got back, I took that train, now they know just who I am
Before they bury me, before they bury me, I'm gonna take a train to Tennessee
And I don't know why, but I gotta scratch this itch before I die
And I don't know why, but I gotta scratch this itch before I die, Before I die