o lay eeeeeee o lay ee ee ee o de o lay ee oh oh o da lay eee i was over in africa minin for gold o ooh minin for gold come along a big lion caught me in my hole o de lay eee caught me in my hole the lion said buddy you plumb outta luck o da lay eee you plumb outta luck made a lunch for me lawd i had to duck o de lay eee i had to duck i jabbed that lion right clean in the jaw o ooh right clean in the jaw picked up his tail dragged him cross the floor o de lay eee dragged him cross the floor i chained him up in the back of my truck o ooh in the back of my truck said what s that you had to say about luck o de lay eee that you said about luck the first place i took him was ten miles away o ooh ten miles away told the people listen what this lion can say o de lay eee what this lion can say the lion looked round he started to cry o ooh he started to cry said this man punched me and he blackened my eye o da lay eee and he blackened my eye the people got angry they started to shout o da lay ee ee ee eee lion said that s what i was talkin about o de lay eee oh oh lawd lawd they hauled me up the courthouse stairs o ooh up the courthouse stairs the judge was a monkey in an old wicker chair o de lay eee in an old wicker chair the monkey said guilty and the people all cheered o ooh and the people all cheered he slammed his gavel said twenty five years o da lay eee said twenty five years  i m in africa wearin a ball and chain o de lay ee a ball and chain i ll never mess with a talkin lion again o ooh talkin lion again