Swamp Witch Blackwater Hattie

[D]Black water Hattie lived [C]back in the swamp
Where the [G]strange green reptiles [D]crawl.
[D]Snakes hang thick from the [C]cypress trees
Like [G]sausage on a smokehouse [D]wall.
Where the [D]swamp is alive with a [C]thousand eyes
An all of them watching [G]you
Stay [D]off the track to [C]Hatties Shack
In the [G]back of the Black Ba[D]you

[D]Way up the road from [C]Hattie’s Shack
Lies a [G]sleepy little Okeecho[F]be t[D]own
[D]Talk of swamp witch [C]Hattie lock you
[G]In when the sun [F]go [D]down
[D]Rumors of what she’d done, [G]rumors of what she’d do
Kept [D]folks off the track of [C]Hattie’s shack
In the [G]back of the Black [F]Ba[D]you

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