The Ballad of Annie Palmer

[Spoken Word Intro]
One time I went down to Jamaica, to a place called Rose Hall Plantation. They grow a lot of sugarcane and tomatoes and things at Rose Hall now. It used to be just a sugarcane plantation back in the days of slavery. And they tell stories about the place and about the great house at Rose Hall, that many, many years ago, there came from the country of Haiti a lady named Annie Palmer who lived in that great house there. And she was the mistress of the plantation. She was the boss. Her word was law. Well, they tell a lot of tales about Annie. They say she had three husbands, one at a time, I guess. But they also tell tales about Annie and the slaves. There were about 5,000 slaves on the plantation. She had her favorites and she had the ones that weren't her favorites. Well, down on the sea, there are three tall palm trees waving in the breeze, and they say that maybe Annie Palmer's three husbands are buried under those palm trees...

[Verse 1]
On the island of Jamaica, quite a long long time ago
At Rose Hall Plantation, where the ocean breezes blow
Lived a girl named Annie Palmer, the mistress of the place
And the slaves all lived in fear to see a frown on Annie's face

[Chorus]
Where’s your husband Annie, where's number two and three?
Are they sleeping beneath the palms beside the Caribbean sea?
At night I hear you riding and I hear your lovers call
And I still can feel your presence round the great house at Rose Hall

[Verse 2]
Well if you should ever go to see the great house at Rose Hall
There's expensive chairs and china and great paintings on the wall
They'll show you Annie's sitting room and the whipping post outside
But they won't let you see the room where Annie's husbands died

[Chorus]
Where’s your husband Annie, where's number two and three?
Are they sleeping beneath the palms beside the Caribbean sea?
At night I hear you riding and I hear your lovers call
And I still can feel your presence round the great house at Rose Hall