There was an old man who lived over the hill If he ain't dead yet he's a living there still Yup, yup Oh well, the devil come up to him one day Said one of your family I'm gonna take away Yup, yup Well please don't take my eldest son There's work on the farm that's got to be done Yup, yup Well it's-a not your eldest son I crave It's your stol'den wife I'm gonna take her away Yup, yup Now the old man jumped up with a start Saying you can take her with all of my heart Yup, yup So the devil picked her up upon his back He looked like an eagle stretched on a rack Yup, yup And he carried her on 'bout a mile down the road Saying oh woman, you're a hell of a load Yup, yup And he carried her down to the gates of Hell Saying "Poke up the fire, we'll scorch her well!" Yup, yup There were two little devils with a ball and chain Up with her foot, she kicked out their brains Yup, yup And nine little devils went climbing up the walls Saying take her back, daddy, she'll murder us all Yup, yup I woke up the next morning, I peeked out of the crack I see the old devil just a-dragging her back Yup, yup Saying here's your wife both sound and well If I kept her there longer she'd've torn up hell Yup, yup Well it only goes to show what a woman can do She can whoop up the devil and her husband too Yup, yup Shows one advantage women have over man They can go down to hell and come back again Yup, yup Yup, yup