Songwriter: Robbie Robertson

Yeah when I get off of this mountain
Tell her how to go
Straight to the Mississippi River
To the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah to Lake Charles, Louisiana
Little Bessie, a girl that I once knew
She told me just to come on by
If there's anything she could do

Up on Cripple Creek she send me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak 'cause she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Good luck had just stung me
To the race track I did go
Yeah i bet on one horse to win
And she bet on another to show
The odds were in my favor
So I gave my little Bessie half
When that nag to win came around the track
It really chapped my ass

Up on Cripple Creek she send me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak 'cause she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

I took up all of my winnings
And I gave my little Bessie half
Yeah she tore it up and threw it in my face
You know just for a laugh
Yeah but there's one thing in the whole wide world
I sure would like to see
It's when that little love of mine
Puts her doughnut in my tea

Up on Cripple Creek she send me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak 'cause she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Well me and my mate were back at the shack
We had Spike Jones on the box
She said, "I can't stand to hear him sing
But I sure love to hear him talk"
Now that just gave my heart a fall
To the bottom of my feet
And I swore as I took another pull
My Bessie can't be beat

Up on Cripple Creek she send me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak 'cause she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Yeah a flood out in California
Up in Canada it's freezin' cold
And this livin' out on the road
Well it's gettin' pretty old
So I guess I'll call up my big mama
And tell her I'll be movin' in
Bet deep down, deep down you know I'm kinda tempted
To go see my Bessie again

Up on Cripple Creek she send me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak 'cause she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Yeah up on Cripple Creek she send me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak 'cause she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Eric Church

Eric Church is an American country music singer-songwriter from Granite Falls, North Carolina. After graduating from Appalachian State University with a business degree in 2000, Eric became engaged to a Spanish teacher from Lenior, NC whose father attempted to deter his musical aspirations by offering him a corporate career in Denver. After turning down her father’s offer, Church’s ex-fiance broke the engagement, giving Church motivation to move to Nashville and begin focusing solely on his music. Recollections of this turning point in Church’s life are heard throughout his lyrical portfolio (most prominently in “Those I’ve Loved”).

After a period of being overlooked by record labels and producers, Church was eventually signed to Capitol Records in 2006, making his debut with the album, Sinners Like Me. The album produced four singles on the Billboard Country Chart, “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” “Guys Like Me,” and the album’s title track.

His second album, 2009’s Carolina, produced three more “Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most,” and “Hell on the Heart.”

From the album