> Folk Music > Songs > Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow

Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow

[ Roud 16534 ; DT BABYLNFL ; Mudcat 116137 ; trad.]

Kontraband sang I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow, credited to A.P. Carter, in 1983 on their Springthyme album North Star.

Steve Turner sang Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow in 2018 on his Tradition Bearers CD Late Cut. He noted:

This is a variant of the American traditional song Going to Leave This Country. Adopted by various musical genres and recorded by the likes of Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt and the Carter Sisters in bluegrass and country mode respectively. So it’s a song that seems pretty flexible in its opportunities for interpretation. I heard it sung unaccompanied by Mick Buckley of the Cork Singers’ Circle at the Fastnet Folk Festival a couple of years ago.

Lyrics

Kontraband sing I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow

Chorus:
I ain’t gonna work tomorrow,
And I may not work next day
I ain’t gonna work tomorrow,
For it be a wet, rainy day.

I’m gonna leave this country,
And I’m goin’ around the world
I’m gonna leave this country
For the sake of one little girl.

She told me that she loved me
And she made my poor heart grieve
Now then her back’s turned to me
And she’s courtin’ whoever she please.

I lost all my money gamblin
And I lost my name you see
Now I am nobody’s darlin’,
Nobody cares for me.

You hear my banjo ringin’,
Can’t you hear that mournful sound?
And all them women are laughin’ at me,
Standin’ on the cold, cold ground.

I hang my head in sorrow,
And I hang my head and cry
And every time my darlin’s near,
I hang my head and I cry.

Steve Turner sings Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow

I’m gonna leave this country
I’m goin’ around this world
I’m gonna leave this country
And it’s all for one little girl

Chorus:
I ain’t gonna work tomorrow
I may not work next day
I ain’t gonna work tomorrow
For it’ll be a rainy day

She told me that she loved me
She made my poor heart grieve
And now she’s turned her back on me
And she’s courtin’ whoever she please

I lost my money gambling
I lost my name, you see
I am nobody’s darling
And nobody cares for me

Don’t you hear my banjo ringing?
Don’t you hear that mournful sound?
Don’t you hear them pretty girls laughing
Standing on the cold, cold ground?

I’ll hang my head in sorrow
I’ll hang my head and cry
I’ll hang my head in sorrow
When my darling passes by