Old song? (some lyrics....no names?)?

Question

Ok

Heard this old song the other day

about some guys going "Down the mighty mississip to the gulf of mexico"

and on the way they encountered some british soldiers

they "Shot first but they kept a comin"

and then they "shot again and they began a runnin"

into bushes where "even a rabbit could go"



Any idea what song it is and/or who sings it?

Answer 1

It's "Battle of New Orleans" by Jimmy Driftwood
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/battleof.htm

Made a hit by Johnny Horton in 1959
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_New_Orleans

Enjoy!

Answer 2

The Battle of New Orleans ... By Jimmy Driftwood but also sung by Johnny Horton

Well, in eighteen and fourteen we took a little trip
along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,
And we caught the bloody British near the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, I see'd Mars Jackson walkin down the street
talkin' to a pirate by the name of Jean Lafayette [pronounced La-feet]
He gave Jean a drink that he brung from Tennessee
and the pirate said he'd help us drive the British in the sea.

The French said Andrew, you'd better run,
for Packingham's a comin' with a bullet in his gun.
Old Hickory said he didn't give a dang,
he's gonna whip the britches off of Colonel Packingham.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we looked down the river and we see'd the British come,
and there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
while we stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.

Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
if we didn't fire a musket til we looked 'em in the eyes.
We held our fire til we see'd their faces well,
then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave a yell.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we fired our cannon til the barrel melted down,
so we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind,
and when they tetched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.

We'll march back home but we'll never be content
till we make Old Hickory the people's President.
And every time we think about the bacon and the beans,
we'll think about the fun we had way down in New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin,
But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch 'em
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Answer 3

Battle Of New Orleans...Johnny Horton (1959), his was most popular. The song was written by Jimmy Driftwood and recorded by him (originally) in 1958, but was not the hit that Johnny Horton made it.

Answer 4

Johnny Horton

Answer 5

Its called The Battle Of New Orleans. Its been recorded a few times. I owned the Lonnie Donegan version of it when I was a kid in the 1960's. Great song.