My Bucket's Got a Hole in It

I can't buy no beer.
My beer bucket has a hole.
I'm going to scream.

This is an old song by Clarence Williams, the fascinating jazz pianist, composer, singer and publisher (notably of "race records" in the first two decades of the 20th century) of songs with provocative titles such as "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None o' This Jelly Roll," "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate," "You Missed a Good Woman," "I Can Beat You Doing What You're Doing Me" and "Cake Walkin' Babies From Home."

The most well known version is by Hank Williams, whose lyrics I've included below under the slightly different ones that Bob Dylan sings with the band during the 1967 Basement Tapes recordings. The haiku contains a reference to a scream, one of which Bob lets loose during the song. You can find it on volume 11 of the Bootleg Series.

Well, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yes, my bucket's got a hole in it
Well, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Well, I went upon the mountain
I looked down into sea
I seen the crabs and the fishes
Doin' the be-bop-bee

'Cause my bucket's got a hole in it
Yes, my bucket's got a hole in it
You know, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Aaahhhh!

Oh, there ain't no use
Of me workin' so hard
I know there ain't no use
Of me workin' so hard
'Cause I got a woman
In the boss man's yard

'Cause my bucket's got a hole in it
Yes, my bucket's got a hole in it
You know, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer


Hank Williams version:

Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
I can't buy no beer. 

Well I'm standin' on a corner - With a bucket in my hand
I'm waitin' for a woman - That ain't got no man. 

'Cause My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
I can't buy no beer. 

Well, I went upon the mountain - I looked down in the sea
I seen the crabs and the fishes - Doin' the be-bop-bee. 

'Cause My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
I can't buy no beer. 

Well, there ain't no use - of me workin' so hard
When I got a woman - in the boss man's yard. 

'Cause My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
I can't buy no beer. 

Well, me and my baby - we just bought a Ford
And now we sit together - on the running board.

'Cause My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
I can't buy no beer.