"Good night, Irene"

Good Night Irene
Music and lyrics by Huddie Ledbetter and John Lomax, 1950

Sequenced by Harry Todd

The following information was copied from The Biography of Huddie Ledbetter


Huddie Ledbetter ( -- 1949 )

Musician; born near Morringsport, La. A legendary singer and guitarist, he was raised near Shreveport, La., worked on farms in Texas, and began performing in Dallas, Texas, as a protégé of Blind Lemon Jefferson in the 1910s. (Leadbelly got his own nickname because of his deep bass voice.) In 1917 he was sentenced to prison on a murder conviction; eight years later he literally sang a plea of mercy to the Texas governor and was pardoned. A similar episode occurred in 1935: In 1930 he had been sentenced to ten years for wounding a group of men with a knife; in 1934 Leadbelly composed a song for the Louisiana governor, and, with the intervention of the folklorists John and Alan Lomax, won a reprieve. Over the next year, Leadbelly traveled with John Lomax and recorded hundreds of songs that formed a cornerstone of the Library of Congress folklore archives. In 1938 he moved permanently to New York City, where he recorded for Columbia Records and became a celebrated figure in literary and political circles. His best-known songs include "Irene, Good Night," "Rock Island Line," and "Midnight Special."

Irene good night Irene good night
Good night Irene Good night Irene
I'll see you in my dreams

Last Saturday night I got married
Me and my wife settled down
Now me and my wife have parted
I'm gonna take a little stroll downtown

Irene good night Irene good night
Good night Irene Good night Irene
I'll see you in my dreams

Some times I live in the country
Some times I live in town
Some times I take a great notion
To jump in the river and drown

Irene good night Irene good night
Good night Irene Good night Irene
I'll see you in my dreams

Quit your rambling quit your gambling
Stop staying out late at night
Stay home with your wife and family
And stay by the fireside of right

Irene good night Irene good night
Good night Irene Good night Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Irene good night Irene good night
Good night Irene Good night Irene
I'll see you in my dreams