Some Old Day
Jam-Along Backing Track
Lyrics
I’ve been working out in the rain
Tied to the dirty old ball and chain
Oh dear mother I’ll come home some old day
Some sweet day they’ll turn me loose
From this dirty old calaboose
Oh dear mother I’ll come home some old day
Some old day
You’ll wait for me and pray
Oh dear mother I’ll come home some old day
Some sweet day they’ll turn me loose
From this dirty old calaboose
Oh dear mother I’ll come home some old day
Oh dear mother I’ve hurt you so
I’ve been cruel to you I know
Oh dear mother I’ll come home some old day
Tell my brother My sister and dad
Tell the dear friends that I’ve had
Oh dear mother I’ll come home some old dayAbout This Song
Some Old Day is a prison song. It's a man on the chain gang promising his mother he'll be home one day. The Rouse Brothers made the first recording in 1939. Earl Rouse wrote it, using the name Jack Rouse, and that name appears on the 1939 session sheet. He never copyrighted the song, though. When Flatt & Scruggs recorded it in 1955, they registered it under their wives' maiden names, Louise Certain and Gladys Stacey. That's why most records credit it to Certain and Stacey.
| Year | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Rouse Brothers | |
| 1955 | Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys | Where most players first heard it; issued in 1957 on Foggy Mountain Jamboree, which entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012 |
Also recorded by the Country Gentlemen, the Osborne Brothers, J.D. Crowe & the New South, John Cowan and the Earls of Leicester.