My mother called me to her bedside These words she said to me If you don't quit you ramblin' ways They're gonna get you in the penitentiary Gonna get you in the penitentiary, poor boy Gonna get you in the penitentiary If you don't quit your reckless ways They're gonna get you in the penitentiary So I set myself down in a gamblin' game And I could not play my hand Thinkin' about that women I loved Who run away with another man Run away with another man, poor boy Run away with another man Just thinkin' about that woman I loved Who runs away with another man The cards come around the table, Lord And I had such a worried mind My stack of gold dollars I wasted away And I lost about ninety-nine I lost about ninety-nine, poor boy I lost about ninety-nine My stack of gold dollars I wasted away And I lost about ninety-nine It wasn't very long till I seen him again He run away and left her behind And I laid him down with my old forty-four And the judge gave me ninety-nine Well, the judge gave me ninty-nine, poor boy And he give me ninety-nine I laid a man down with my big forty-four And the judge give me ninety-nine Well, the jury said that I had to pay And the clerk he wrote it down