Up on cripple creekthe bandwhen i get off of this mountainyou know where i want to gostraight down the mississippi riverto the gulf of mexicoto lake george, louisianalittle bessie, girl that i once knewand she told me just to come on by if there's anything she could do{refrain}up on cripple creek she sends meif i spring a leak she mends mei don't have to speak she defends mea drunkard's dream if i ever did see onegood luck had just stung meto the race track i did goshe bet on one horse to winand i bet on another to showodds were in my favori had him five to onewhen that nag came around the tracksure enough he had won{refrain}i took up all of my winningsand i gave my little bessie halfand she tore it up and blew it in my facejust for a laugenow there's one thing in the whole wide worldi sure would like to seethat's when that little love of minedips her doughnut in my tea{refrain}now me and my mate were back at the shackwe had spike jones on the boxshe said, "i can't take the way he singsbut i love to hear him talk"now that just gave my heart a fallto the bottom of my feetand i swore and i took another pullmy bessie can't be beat{refrain}now, it's hot in californiaand up north it's pretty coldand this living off the roadis getting pretty oldso i guess i'll call up my big mamatell her i'll be rolling inbet you know, deep down, i'm kinda temptedto see my sweet bessie again{refrain}