Mistercharlie Songtext
von Lightnin’ Hopkins

Once in the country
There was a little boy
He was wandered away from his place that he was livin′
He didn't have no mother, neither no father
So he decided he would try to get out on his own
Because he figured that the people that he was around with
They was a little too cruel to him
So the little kid, he wanted to see some parts of the world
He decided he would start out on his own
So he left his home, what he would call a home
And he goes travelin′
He traveled for miles and miles
He traveled a good piece from the place that he was located
So he run across a rolling mill
In fact, the buildings, it was a sawmill
But they called it a rolling mill at that time
Because they'd roll the logs down the hill
Put 'em on the trolley and roll ′em on down
And they would cut the first off
And throw it in the junk there and let it burn


So Mr. Charlie, he had a shack behind his mill
So he didn′t have anything to be in that shack
Unless somebody'd stay
The little boy walked up there
And he stood lookin′ lonesome and long
So Mr. Charlie said, "Boy, what you doin' here?"
He said, "Me, me, me, me, me, me don′t have no home"
Mr. Charlie said, "Well, wait a minute, I'm busy now"
So Mr. Charlie went on doin′ his work there
And things that he's supposed to do
He looked, the poor little boy was standin' in the same position
He came back there, said, "Boy, can you work?"
"Me, me can work"
He said, "Well, I tell you what
By you not havin′ no home, I got a shack back there"
Said, "If you will stay in that shack
And keep this fire off of my cured lumber
And keep it from burnin′ my mill, burnin' down"
He said, "I′ll give you a home here long as I got a mill"
"Thank, thank, thank you, Mr. Charlie"
And so Mr. Charlie carried him back there
And showed him where that he could live, you know
So the little boy was happy with his home
Mr. Charlie lived a few blocks from there
Back to the business
But it wasn't too far that the little boy could run to the house
So on Sundays they don′t work
But they still got that there throwaway burnin' away
You know what I mean?
And so the little boy
He was inside of his little bunk that morning
And he looked out and he see that the rolling mill had caught a fire
The little boy went to runnin′
He run all the way, he didn't stop
Because he was tryin' to approve that he mean
To do the thing that Mr. Charlie asked him to
So when he got there, Mr. Charlie was busy
Doin′ a little ol′ something else
What it was, the little boy don't know
And I don′t either, but I know
The little boy knows that he was busy
So he patted Mr. Charlie on the back
He said, "Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, Mr. Charlie"
Mr. Charlie straightened up and looked at him
Said, "Boy, what you want?"
He said, "You, you, you, you, you"
He said, "Well, wait a minute"
Said, "I got something to do, you tell me later"
Mr. Charlie turned around and he began doin' what he was doin′
The little boy wanted to let him know that it was rushin'
It was his time to go
He patted him on his back
No sooner Mr. Charlie stooped over
Said, "Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, Mr. Charlie"
Mr. Charlie straightened up and said
"Boy, you tryin′ to tell me something"
Said, "Now if you can't talk, just sing it"
And he said
Oh, Mr. Charlie
Your rolling mill is burnin' down
Oh, Mr. Charlie
Your rolling mill is burnin′ down
He says, "I ain′t got no water"
Mr. Charlie says, "If you ain't got none
Just let the rolling mill burn on down"
Mr. Charlie said, "Boy, if it ain′t no water 'round
Poke your head out the window
And let that old rolling mill burn on down"
He said, "Mr. Charlie
Do you know your rolling mill is burnin′ down?"
He says, "I can't help you, I can′t help you
Mr. Charlie, there ain't no water 'round"
The little boy said, "Mr. Charlie
Now don′t you see
If the mill burn down
That′s almost the last of me"
Mr. Charlie said, "Don't you worry
Son, listen at me
If the old mill burn down
I′m gonna give you another home, whoa, somewhere with me"
"Mr. Charlie
Your rolling mill is burnin' down"
He said, "Just poke your head out the window
And let that old rolling mill burn down"
The little boy couldn′t help but cry
Oh, Mr. Charlie
I won't have no place to stay
Mr. Charlie
I won′t have no place to stay
Mr. Charlie said, "Son, don't you worry
I got a home for you long as you stay"