The lyrics veer quickly from a recollection of life before emancipation (a "Colored man" slept on "chips 'n' straw," while today he sleeps on a feather bed) to a somewhat jumbled account of a trial. In his notes, Smith points out that the lyric "over the road I'm bound to go" is "seldom heard other than in songs dealing with prison." Although it is never explicitly stated in the song that the speaker is found guilty and sent to jail, it may be inferred by the constant refrain "over the road I'm bound to go." It is significant that the next three songs that follow "Feather Bed" all deal with, or make mention of, prisons or jailhouses. For this reason, the first line's comment that "colored man plumb fool about feather bed" may be intended to be ironic, given that the speaker is headed for accommodations that a far from plush.

"Feather Bed" - Cannon's Jug Stompers