The Ballad of Annie Palmer

de Johnny Cash

One time I was down to Jamaica to a place called Rose Hall Plantation
They grow a lot of sugarcane and tomatoes and things at Rose Hall now
It used to be just a sugarcane plantation back in the days of slavery
And they tell stories about the place and about the great house at Rose Hall
That many many years ago they came from the country of Haiti
A lady named Annie Palmer who lived in that great house there
And she was a mistress of the plantation she was the boss her word was law
Well they tell a lot of tales about Annie
They say she had three husbands one at a time I guess
But they also tell tales about Annie and the slaves
There were about 5000 slaves on the plantation
And she had her favorites and she had the ones that weren't her favorites
Well down on the sea there're three tall palmtrees wavin' in the breeze
And they say that maybe Annie Palmer's three husbands
Are buried under those palmtrees

On the Island of Jamaica quite a long long time ago
At Rose Hall Plantation where the ocean breezes blow
Lived a girl named Annie Palmer the mistress of the place
And the slaves all lived in fear to see a frown on Annie's face

Where's your husband Annie where's number two and three
Are they sleeping neath the palms beside the Caribbean Sea
At night I hear you ridin' and I hear your lovers call
And still can feel your presence round the great house at Rose Hall hmm

Well if you should ever go to see the great house at Rose Hall
There's expensive chairs and china and great paintings on the wall
They'll show you Annie's sittingroom and the whipping post outside
But they won't let you see the room where Annie's husbands died
Where's your husband Annie