Michael Martin Murphey Follow

When the fiddlin' man came to our town
Sister dressed up in her prettiest gown
Momma told sister don't be hanging around
That no good fiddlin' nan

'Cause a fiddlin' man he ain't on the level
He'll fiddle like an angel act like a devil
Sister wouldn't listen she was a rebel
She liked that fiddlin' man

She went to the dance stayed all night long
Momma waited up 'til the break of dawn
Momma found a letter and said she's gone
Off with that fiddlin' man

Sister ran off with a fiddlin' man
Momma threw a fit bangin' pots and pans
Said she'd better never ever get her hands
On that no good fiddlin' man

So I bought me a fiddle and I got me a bow
Practiced in the woods where
Momma wouldn't know
Knew she'd never ever let me go
Off to be a fiddlin' man

And the leaves and the wind would dance and twirl
As I played for the rabbits and played for the squirrels
Couldn't wait 'til I played for the girls

Had to be a fiddlin' man
And late one night when the moon was low
I packed my fiddle and I packed my bow
Momma found a note and said "Oh, no"
He's gone to be a fiddlin' man

And I ran off to be a fiddlin' man
Momma threw a fit bangin' pots and pans
Said she'd better never ever get her hands
On that no good fiddlin' man

Well then one night when I started to play
I saw a pretty gal looking my way
She was dancing with her brother
And I heard her day I like that fiddlin' man

Now her little brother was about knee high
Looked at the fiddle with a gleam in his eye
Said to me sir, I'd sure like to try
To learn to be a fiddling man

I said son, there's a whole lot a boys gotta know
Like chicken in the brier patch squawking at the crow
He said I don't care I just got to go
Off to be a fiddlin' man

So I had an old fiddle that I never did play
Sister winked when I gave it away
Ain't no doubt what momma's gonna say
That no good fiddlin' man

And brother ran off with a fiddlin' man
Momma threw a fit bangin' pots and pans
Said she'd better never ever get her hands
On that no good fiddlin' man

And his sister ran off with a fiddlin' man
Momma threw a fit bangin' pots and pans
Said she'd better never ever get her hands
On that no good fiddlin' man