When I was just a little girl
My mama said to me
"Beware of the 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 a spell just looking at his beautiful face.
You gotta build yourself a levee deep inside
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 earthly body in sight
Come up on you girl and and he'll whisper something sweet
And 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 mama said to me
"Beware of the the devil my child but if by chance you should meet
Beware 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
Build yourself a levee deep inside
Build yourself a levee deep inside
Build yourself a levee girl when the waters run high."