Frankie was a good woman
Everybody knows
She gave her man Johnny a hundred dollar bill
Just to buy one suit of clothes
Frankie went down to the barroom
She ordered herself one glass of beer
She asked that bartending man
"Tell me, has my sweet Johnny been here?"
He said, "Frankie, I ain't gonna tell you no stories"
He said, "Frankie, I ain't gonna tell you no lie"
He said, "Frankie, I saw Johnny about one hour ago
He was heading over, going to see Miss Nellie Bly"
She cried, "Hold me back
Hold me back, take away my gun
Hold me back, hold me back
Somebody, won't you please hold me back
Don't let me do what must be done"
Frankie went on over to that coke joint
She stood outside, she rang that bell
She said, "Alright, Johnny, you're my loving man
And if I find you in here I'm gonna shoot you
I'm gonna shoot you sure as hell"
Sure enough there Johnny was with Nellie Bly
He sees the gun in Frankie's hand, he says
"Frankie, don't shoot, I swear I won't treat you wrong no more"
That's for sure, 'cause by the time she was done with that gun
Her man was not gonna treat her wrong no more
Roll out your rubber tired carriages
Roll out your rubber tired hacks
There's twelve men going to the graveyard
There's only eleven men coming back