The first time I saw carrie brown
She was so young and fair
A voice like spring rain fallin' down and sunlight in her hair
I'd never seen her face before so I asked all around
Her daddy owns a grocery store and she lives in bristol town
Carrie darlin' carrie carrie brown I cry
If I can't marry carrie brown believe I'd rather die
I laid my last ten dollars down
Though I didn't need a thing
Just to touch sweet carrie brown
When she handed me my change
I hung around till closin' time I scarce believed my eyes
My darlin' walkin' arm in arm
With a boy named billy wise
I walked around in bristol town a bitter broken man
A heart that pined for carrie brown and a pistol in my hand
We met again on state street poor billy wise and me
I shot him in virginia and he died in tennessee
Now I'm down in the bristol jail and all I do is cry
Cause the jury found me guilty and the judge says I must die
I'm just a poor young mountain boy
Ain't never been to town
And I've come to ruination for the love of carrie brown