When I was just a little girl

My mamma said to me

"Beware of the devil my chld

in the dark rocky places he'll keep

Beware of the devil my child

Beware of his charming ways

You'll fall under an evil spell

just looking at his beautiful face

You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside"



"Don't go walking by the riverside

alone in the pale moonlight

He'll come upon you girl

With no earthy body in sight

Come up upon you girl

and he'll whisper something sweet

then take you

where the waters rise so high and run so deep"



"You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside

Gotta build yourself a levee deep inside

Build yourself a levee girl

When the waters run high"



Now when I was just a little girl

My mamma said to me

"Beware of the devil my child

but if by chance you should meet

Beware of his cold dark eyes

Full of bold and unholy deceit

He'll tempt you with a whirling pool of lies

and promises he'll deny

or that he'll never keep"



"You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside

Build yourself a levee deep inside

You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside

Build yourself a levee girl

when the waters run high"