Three traditional versions of the song from murder ballads. nick's version is also available. further details (and the actual book nick edited from) are also available.

Stagolee
Bad man stagalee when he bad,
He bad wid a gun
Stagalee, stagalee --- you must-a been a sinner
Ev'ry- christmas eve they give stagalee a dinner
Bad man stagalee, when he bad
He bad wid a gun.

Don't you remember you remember
One dark stormy night
Stagalee and bill o. lion
Dey had dat noble fight.

Bill o. lion tole stagalee
Please don't take my life
I got three little children
And a dear lil' lovin'wife

Stagalee told billy o. lion
I don't care for your three lil' children
Or even your lovin' wife
You stole mah stetson hat
And I'm goin to take yo'life

Stagalee pulled out his forty-four
It went boom boom boom
It wasn't long' fore bill o. lion
Wvere layin'on de flo'

Stagalee's woman she went to her boss
Said, please give me some change.
Dey got my baby in de station house
An'mah business mus'be'ranged.

Stagalee asked his woman
How much change has you got?
She run her han'in her stocking feet
And pulled out a hundred spot.
She had to get mo'money.

From southern folk ballads, mcneill collected from vera hall, al 1947

Stagolee
Stagolee was a bad man,
Ev'rybody knows.
Spent one hundred dollars
Just to buy him a suit of dothes.

He was a bad man
That mean old stagolee

Stagolee shot billy de lyons
What do you think about that?
Shot him down in cold blood
Because he stole his stetson hat;

He was a bad man
That mean old stagolee

Billy de lyons said, stagolee
Please don't take my life
I've got two little babes
And a darling, loving wife;

You are a bad man
You mean old stagolee.

What do I care about your two little babes,
Your darling loving wife? ,
You done stole my stetson hat
I'm bound to take your life;

He was a bad man,
That mean old stagolee.

The judge said, stagolee,
What you doing in here? ,
You done shot mr. billy de lyons,
You going to die in the electric chair;

He was a bad man
That mean old stagolee.

Twelve o'clock they killed him
Head reached up high
Last thing that poor boy said,
My six-shooter never lied.

He was a bad man,
That mean old stagolee.

Stagolee
Chorus: stagolee, stagolee, he's the meanest man in town
When that boy starts gamblin', better lay your money down
Down in new orleans where they got that lyon's club
Every step you step you're steppin' in billy de lyon's blood

I remember one september, on a cold and stormy night
Billy de lyon and stagolee, lord, they had a great big fight
Billy shot a seven, and stack he said he'd pass
Stack said to billy de lyon, brother,
You done shot your last

The woman asked the sheriff, said how can this be?
You got all them bad men, but you can't get stagolee
Deputies took their badges and they laid them on the shelf
If you want to get that bad man, you get him by yourself

Now send for the policemen, a hundred thousand come
Loaded down with rifles and a great big gatling gun
On friday we condemned him, the judge he lowered his head
On saturday we hanged him, I was glad to see him dead

• 500 Miles
• A Dead Song
• All The Pretty Little Horses
• All The Pretty Little Horsies
• And No More Shall We Part
• As I Sat Sadly by Her Side
• Banks of The Roses
• Big-jesus-trash-can
• Blast Off
• Blundertown
• Capers
• Cassiel's Song
• Cindy
• Cry
• Darker With The Day
• Dead Joe
• Deep in The Woods
• Down in a Willow Garden
• Dull Day
• Dumb Europe
• Faraway, So Close!
• Fears of Gun
• Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow
• Figure of Fun
• Gates to The Garden
• Girl at The Bottom of My Glass
• God is in The House
• God's Hotel
• Hallelujah
• Hamlet
• Happy Birthday
• Hard on for Love
• Ho-ho
• How Long, How Long Blues
• I Just Dropped In
• I Put a Spell on You
• I Rowed a Little Boat
• Jack's Shadow
• Jennifer's Veil
• Junkyard
• Just You & Me
• Katy Cruel
• Kewpie Doll
• King Ink
• King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-mi-o
• Kiss Me Black
• Knoxville Girl
• Long Time Fan
• Long Time Man
• Love Henry
• Love Letter
• Mack The Knife
• Mama's Boy
• Mister Frog Went A-courting
• Mojo
• Mutiny in Heaven
• Nick The Stripper
• Oh My Lord
• Oh, Happy Day
• Oxford Tragedy
• Patripassian
• Peace in The Valley
• Pleasure is The Boss
• Release The Bats
• Riddle House
• Rye Whiskey
• Sad Dark Eyes
• Sad Waters
• Sail Away
• Scum
• Several Sins
• She Fell Away
• She's Hit
• Shivers
• Six Inch Gold Blade
• Sonny's Burning
• Stagalee
• Stow-a-way
• Swampland
• Sweetheart Come
• That's What Jazz is to Me
• The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane
• The Big Hurt
• The Dim Locator
• The Friend Catcher
• The Good Hun
• The Sorrowful Wife
• The Sweetest Embrace
• The Willow Garden
• There is a Light
• Till The End of The World
• Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum
• Tower of Song
• Truck Love
• Tupelo Blues
• Viviane
• Vixo
• Wade in The Water
• We Came Along This Road
• What Can I Give You?
• Where The Action Is
• Wild World
• Yard
• Young Hunting