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Keno The Rent Man

Composer: Traditional

Recordings

Keno, The Rent Man
info The New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 4, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1962
no info Goin' Up Town. Old Time String Bands, Vol. 2, Cofer Brothers, 198?
info Georgia Stringbands, Volume 1, Various Artists (Cofer Brothers), 1998

Riley, The Furniture Man
no info Giddyap Napoleon, Double Decker String Band, 1980
no info Poor Man, Rich Man: American Country Songs Of Protest, Georgia Crackers, 198?
info Times Ain't Like They Used To Be: Early American Rural Music, Vol. 2, Various Artists (The Georgia Crackers), 1997
info Georgia Stringbands, Volume 1, Various Artists (Georgia Crackers), 1998

Notes

Played by Jerry and Sarah Garcia at the Tangent in Palo Alto in May 1963.

The lyrics used in the version performed by Jerry and Sarah Garcia are as follows;

Keno, the rent man mean as he can be
Tossed my bed out in the street then he threw (out?) me
Keno, mean as he can be.

Threw my trunk out in the yard, kicked off the (end of my nose?)
Hit me in the head with a washboard, tore out the back of my clothes
Keno, mean as he can be.

Went to run and he tripped me, stepped on the back of my head
Jammed me down in a mudhole 'til he thought that I was dead
Keno, mean as he can be.

Makes no difference to (?) man whether it's (?) (snow?)
If you don't pay that rent man he'll throw you out the door
Keno, mean as he can be.

Now if you are a renter take heed to what I say
If you don't pay that rent man better make your getaway
Keno, mean as he can be.

Possibly the same song as Riley, The Furniture Man. In the early decades of the century the furniture man or rent man was the equivalent of the bailiff or repo man of today.