When I was just a little girl my mamma said to me,
"beware of the devil my child
In the dark rocky places he'll keep
Beware of the devil my child
Beware of his charming ways
You'll fall under an evil spell
Just looking at his beautiful face
You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside"

"Don't go walking by the riverside
Alone in the pale moonlight
He'll come up upon you girl
With no earthy body in sight
Come up upon you girl
And he'll whisper something sweet
Then take you where the waters rise
So high and run so deep."

"You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside
Gotta build yourself a levee deep inside
Build yourself a levee girl when the waters run high"

Now when I was just a little girl my mamma said to me,
"beware of the devil my child
But if by chance you should meet
Beware of his cold dark eyes full of bold and unholy deceit
He'll tempt you with a whirling pool of lies and promises
He'll deny or that he will never keep"

"You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside
Gotta build yourself a levee deep inside
Build yourself a levee girl when the waters run high"