The Evil Dope lyrics

Li'l boy and li'l girl, 

this is The Phil Phillips, 

King of the World.

You see, you are the future leaders 

of this great country.

But you must never, 

never fool around with the evil dope.

Stay away from marijuana 

and stay away from the evil needle.

The name of this story li'l boy, li'l girl, today 

is "The Evil Dope."

Josh was his name. 

He had been workin' all of his life.

He had earned two thousand dollars,

two thousand dollars he had 

in his savin' account.

And, boy, his dear mother and dear friend 

was givin' him a birthday party.

And, boy, after the birthday party, 

he takin' his girlfriend home.

And on his way back, 

he stopped by the Ragnow Sam1 place 

and there he met old Cottonmouth Joe.

And Cottonmouth Joe said, 

"Josh," said, "we been waitin' for you, man.

Got a great big, old, juicy birthday party for you." 

So he said, "Come on." They went next door. 

And when they opened the door, smoke! Smoke!

Everywhere was smoke! 

Everybody was smokin' marijuana, 

marijuana cigarette.

And he said, "Come on, Josh, have a cigarette."

Li'l Josh said, "No, I don't think I want a cigarette.

I understand those things are bad."

"Aw, come on, man, you can kick the habit."

So Josh began to puff-puff down that cigarette.

And finally, he said "Whoo! I feel good!" 

So he went on back, went back home that night.

But the next day he was right back 

down to Cottonmouth Joe's house.

But Cottonmouth Joe said, 

"I have somethin' better for you this time."

And he put that needle in his arm 

and shot that medicine in him 

and he said "Whoo! I feel good!"

Went on back home, but his mother met him, 

met him at the door and said,

"Josh," said, "I understand you foolin' 

around with old Cottonmouth Joe."

Said, "Aw, Mother, you don't know 

what you're talkin' about."

But that night, later that night, 

he was in the bed alone.

He was real cold and sick and he said, 

"Ooh, I'm so cold, I feel so bad. 

So sick, so bad."

His mother heard him and ran upstairs

when she said to him, she said,

"Josh, you haven't been foolin' around 

with that dope, have you, boy?"

He said, "Aw, Mother, let me alone." 

And he took off. 

Went on back, back down to old Cottonmouth Joe.

Back and forth, back and forth

and finally, he was hooked.

Didn't have any more money, 

so he said to himself,

"I got to get me some money. 

I got to have me some money, I'm broke. 

Got to get that dope."

He saw an old lady walkin' alone

one lonely, dark night.

Picked up a stick, sneaked up behind her,

hit her across the head. Badoom! 

Bip-bop, bip-bop with the kickin' her, stompin' her.

And finally the old lady was dead. 

Stone dead.

So he ran on back to Cottonmouth Joe's house,

fell on the couch again with that medicine in his arm.

"Whoo! I feel good!"

But a few days later, he was in the cell, 

in the jail cell.

And there, he was all alone.

And he began to think to himself and he said,

"I should have listened to my mama. 

I should have listened to my mama. 

All of my money's gone. 

All of my two thousand dollars,

what I worked so hard for, all of it is gone. 

I want my mama. Somebody please help me! 

Mama! Mama, please help me!

I feel so cold, I'm so sick. 

I don't know what I'm gonna do. 

Look like I'm gonna die!"

And finally, he fell to the floor.

He was dead. 

Stone dead.

So you see, the evil dope made him 

turn his back on his dear mother, 

his dear girlfriend, 

made a liar out of him,

made a thief out of him,

stopped him from goin' to college,

lost his two thousand dollars, 

made a murderer out of him,

and finally killed him,

stone dead.

Stay away from marijuana 

and stay away from the evil needle.

Stay away from the evil dope.

1. Not sure what place he's referring to, so I just wrote what I hear phonetically.

• Artist:Phil Phillips
• Album:It's All Right / The Evil Dope (1968)