Delia was a gambling girl, gambled all around,
Delia was a gambling girl, she laid her money down.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's dear ol' mother took a trip out West,
When she returned, little Delia gone to rest.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's daddy weeped, Delia's momma moaned,
Wouldn't have been so bad if the poor girl died at home.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis' looking high, Curtis' looking low,
He shot poor Delia down with a cruel forty-four.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
High up on the housetops, high as I can see,
Looking for them rounders, looking out for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Men in Atlanta, tryin' to pass for white,
Delia's in the graveyard, boys, six feet out of sight.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Judge says to Curtis, "What's this noise about?"
"All about them rounders, Judge, tryin' to cut me out."
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis said to the judge, "What might be my fine?"
Judge says, "Poor boy, you got ninety-nine."
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis' in the jail house, drinking from an old tin cup,
Delia's in the graveyard, she ain't gettin' up.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia, oh Delia, how can it be?
You loved all them rounders, never did love me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia, oh Delia, how can it be?
You wanted all them rounders, never had time for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia was a gambling girl, she laid her money down.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
When she returned, little Delia gone to rest.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Wouldn't have been so bad if the poor girl died at home.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
He shot poor Delia down with a cruel forty-four.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Looking for them rounders, looking out for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's in the graveyard, boys, six feet out of sight.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
"All about them rounders, Judge, tryin' to cut me out."
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Judge says, "Poor boy, you got ninety-nine."
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's in the graveyard, she ain't gettin' up.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
You loved all them rounders, never did love me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
You wanted all them rounders, never had time for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
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This is a good song that if you have listend to it ? , this was on the world gone wrong album. But most of the songs on world gone wrong is good but most of are kind of bad , but i don't mean that bob dylan is bad , its just the way he sings them in a different voice then most of them. But anyways this song is cool. And also this has to have some comments on this song.
I haven't heard this version, but the lyrics are very similar to the Bromberg version. Strange that no one has mentioned the origins of this song. It was written of a true incident wherein Mose Houton, a 15 year old boy, shot down Delia Green, his 14 year old African American girlfriend. Th murder took place on Christmas Eve, 1900. He shot her after a fight, and was then chased and captured by the owner of the house in which he shot her. Mose got a life sentence, but was given parole after more than 12 years. The song has been changed many times since then, and so has Mose's name, usually to Curtis.
I am a Delia and I hate any version of Delia Green's life in song, she was a female homicide victim.