Swamp Witch (Blackwater Hattie) by Jim Stafford Tabbed By Glenn Gibson - gibsonglenn@hotmail.com - 06/23/10 Drop D tuning A fun tune in drop D tuning from the days of Swamp Rock

^DBlack water Hattie lived ^Cback in the swamp Where the ^Gstrange green reptiles ^Dcrawl. ^DSnakes hang thick from the ^Ccypress trees Like ^Gsausage on a smokehouse ^Dwall. Where the ^Dswamp is alive with a ^Cthousand eyes An all of them watching ^Gyou Stay ^Doff the track to ^CHatties Shack In the ^Gback of the Black Ba^Dyou

^DWay up the road from ^CHattie’s Shack Lies a ^Gsleepy little Okeecho^Fbe t^Down ^DTalk of swamp witch ^CHattie lock you ^GIn when the sun ^Fgo ^Ddown ^DRumors of what she’d done^G, rumors of what she’d do Kept ^Dfolks off the track of ^CHattie’s shack In the ^Gback of the Black ^FBa^Dyou

One day brought the rain and the rain stayed on And the swamp water overflowed Skeeters and the fever grabbed the town like a fist Doctor Jackson was the first to go Some say the plague was-a brought by Hattie, there was talk of a hangin’ too But the talk got shackled by the howls and the cackles From the bowels of the Black bayou Early one morn ‘tween dark and dawn When shadows filled the sky There came an unseen caller On a town where road run dry You’d swear there was found a big black round, vat full of gurgling brew Whispering sounds as the folk gathered round It came from the Black Bayou There ain’t much pride when you’re trapped inside A slowly sinkin’ ship Scooped up the liquid deep and green And the whole town took a sip Fever went away and the very next day the skies again were blue Lets thank old Hattie for savin’ our town Well fetch her from the Black Bayou Party of ten of the towns best men headed for Hattie’s Shack Said Swamp Witch magic was useful and good And they’re gonna bring Hattie back Never found Hattie and they never found the shack Never made the trip back in There was a parchment note they found tacked to a stump Said don’t come lookin’ again

Jim Stafford - Swamp witch blackwater hattie