Mississippi Bo Weavil
Blues 
by 
Charley Patton 
recording of 1929-1934 
from 
Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020) 
Sees a little boll weevil 
keeps movin' in the, Lordie! 
You can plant your cotton and you won't get a half a bale, Lordie 
Bo weevil, bo weevil, where's your native home? Lordie 
"A-Louisiana raised in Texas, least is where I was bred and born", Lordie 
Well, I saw the bo weevil, Lord, a-circle, Lord, in the air, Lordie 
The next time I seed him, Lord, he had his family there, Lordie 
Bo weevil left Texas, Lord, he bid me "fare ye well", Lordie 
(spoken: Where you goin' now?) 
I'm goin' down the Mississippi, gonna give Louisiana hell, Lordie 
(spoken: How is that, boy?) 
Suck all the blossoms and he leave your hedges square, Lordie 
The next time I seed you, you know you had your family there, Lordie 
Bo weevil meet his wife, "We can sit down on the hill", Lordie 
Bo weevil told his wife, "Let's trade this forty 
in", Lordie 
Bo weevil told his wife, says, "I believe I may go North", Lordie 
(spoken: Hold on, I'm gonna tell all about that) 
"Let's leave Louisiana, we can go to Arkansas", Lordie 
Well, I saw the bo weevil, Lord a-circle, Lord, in the air, Lordie 
Next time I seed him, Lord, he had his family there, Lordie 
Bo weevil told the farmer that "I 'tain't got ticket fare", Lordie 
Sucks all the blossom and leave your hedges square, Lordie 
Bo weevil, bo weevil, where your native home? Lordie 
"Most anywhere they raise cotton and corn", Lordie 
Bo weevil, bo weevil, "Outta treat me fair", Lordie 
The next time I did you had your family there, Lordie 
__________ 
Note 1: weevil was wrongly spelled "weavil" on the original issue of this song by Paramount Records; 
Note 2: bo or boll weevil, a grayish weevil, super-family of beetles, that infests the cotton plant and feeds on the squares and bolls. See 
illustration 
Note 3: forty acres of land 
"When I was a kid we had a depression prior to this 1929-1930-1931 stuff. I imagine that it must have been around 1907 or 1909. People couldn't hardly get five dollars for a bale of cotton. It started from all those boll weevil plagues that would eat up most of the crops." 
-- Skip James --