[Verse 1]
I was born in Macon Georgia
They kept my dad in the Macon jail
Dad said son if you keep your hands clean
You won't hear them bloodhounds on your trail

[Verse 2]
But I fell in with bad companions
We robbed a man in Tennessee
The sheriff caught me way up in Nashville
They locked me up and threw away the key

[Chorus]
I washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands but they didn't come clean
I tried to do like daddy told me
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream

[Verse 3]
I asked the jailer I said when's my time up
He said son you know we won't forget
And if you try to keep your hands clean
We may make a good man of you yet

[Verse 4]
I couldn't wait to get my time in
I broke out of that Nashville jail
I just crossed the line of Georgia
And I can hear the bloodhounds on my trail
[Chorus]
I washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands but they didn't come clean
I tried to do like daddy told me
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream