And it cost me ninety nine
On a prison farm in Georgia
Close to the Florida line
Well I''d been here for two long years
I finally made the warden my friend
And so he sentenced me to a life of ease
Taking care of Ol Red

Now Ol'' Red he''s the damnedest dog that I''ve ever seen
Got a nose that can smell a two day trail
He''s a four legged tracking machine
You can consider yourself mighty lucky
To get past the gators and the quicksand beds
But all these years that I''ve been here
Ain''t nobody got past Red

(chorus)
And the warden sang
Come on somebody
Why don''t you run
Ol'' Red''s itchin'' to have a little fun
Get my lantern
Get my gun
Red''ll have you treed before the mornin'' comes

Well I paid off the guard and I slipped out a letter
To my cousin up in Tennessee
Oh and he brought down a blue tick hound
She was pretty as she could be
Well they penned her up in the swampland
''Bout a mile just south of the gate
And I''d take Ol'' Red for his evening run
I''d just drop him off and wait

Repeat chorus

Now Ol'' Red got real used to seeing
His lady every night
And so I kept him away for three or four days
And waited till the time got right
Well I made my run with the evenin'' sun
And I smiled when I heard ''em turn Red out
''Cause I was headed north to Tennessee
And Ol'' Red was headed south

Repeat chorus

Now there''s red haired blue ticks all in the South
Love got me in here and love got me out