Lyrics:
Did you ever hear the story of Ragged, Jagged Jack?
Here he comes down the street with a pack on his back.
He comes in the morning, and he comes at night,
And he gobbles up ev'ry thing in sight.
He wakes up the neighborhood for miles around,
He's a reglar alarm clock, always wound.
He gets beneath your window when you try to get to sleep,
And yells in a voice so loud and deep.
Any rags? Rags?
Any rags, any bones, any bottles today,
There's a big black rag picker coming this way,
Any rags? Rags?
Any rags, any bones, any bottles today,
It's the same old story, in the same old way.
If you happen for to leave a thing out all night,
You get up in the morn and it's gone from yer sight.
You'll know then that Ragged Jack has been that way.
He's a very bad omen, people say.
He stole all his furniture, he stole his wife,
If he'd steal from his friend he'd steal yer life.
He never gets molested as he daily walks about,
But things disappear when he yells out:
A copy of 1902 sheet music for the song is held in the University of Maine Vocal Popular Sheet Music Collection and may be viewed online at digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu