Lyrics – vera chrome

FLOWERS AND YELLING

flowers and yelling in the way that she’s dealing
the moon and the sun are all mixed up and stealing
my patience for waiting for the part where I’m feeling
even and free from these flowers and yelling
oh I just wanted peace, an occasional touch
but of flowers and yelling, I’ve had enough
I’ll go in the morning but I won’t think of her
remember her knuckles in the gnarl of old wood
her cheeks by the stones in the pattern of color
physical meaning leads me astray
oh I just wanted peace, an occasional touch
but of flowers and yelling I’ve had enough
please don’t call me back this time
I’m going back to living like I did when I was mine
I see her in land where I ache for summer
companion in silence, inscrutable wonder
moonlight swimming or walking for hours
love by the seasons’ impeccable change
at the sound of my thoughts I begin to lose hope
but don’t you believe in invisible proofs?
too much like dreams to ask of the world
as if you deserve to be happy while you’re
hitching a ride on the heart of a person who
needs to be nurtured as much as you do
oh how can you use without being a user?
how can you possibly let someone go?
everyone stands at the edge of new country
sees everywhere planted seeds to a cure
they should have turned back at the cumberland gap
but they carried their candles to a gasoline sea
oh I just wanted peace, an occasional touch
turn off the tv won’t you open up?

COME WITH ME

baby I’m the one, you’ve been waiting for
I am not the man, leaning on your door
with a doctor’s hand and a hunter’s call
entering as your resistance falls
your house gets small
are you ready, to cross into feeling?
are you ready, for a drive in the morning?
you should come with me
baby I’m the one, you’ve been looking for
I will wait for you, until you’re sure
I’ve saved a place, in this broad expanse
you’ll find me there, if you dare to ask
in your life
are you ready, to cross into feeling?
are you ready, for a drive in the morning?
you should come with me
baby, I’m you’re man and you’ll know it’s true
not a compromise, between time and you
not a grain of sand, brought by fate to you
made in hollywood, and deserved by you
for you I choose
are you ready, to cross into feeling?
are you ready, for a drive in the morning?
you should come with me

PAINTHORSE WALTZ

I could look out of a window
and see people as they pass
soon there’s a girl turns the corner
but tonight, the wall is my muse
I could picture a life
take ten minutes of my time
I could lay it all out before me
but tonight it feels like a crime
oh now she’s gone too far for me to hold
I can see her now
she’s riding on someone’s mind
the future is a cold bed of roses
and we all must surrender in kind
I can see her now
she’s painting on a horse named home
will she lift those dark country eyes
and welcome me back to her arms?
oh now she’s gone too far for me to hold

BIRD

he had, books and maps, every morning was fair game
alone in youth, and living proof, of hope’s eternal flame
tried polite and over night, ten years were laid to waste
one by one, each orbited sun, only left a hole in space
now there’s only feathers left, though he’d never hurt a bird
on your lawn they shiver, quiver and roll
hey it’s the bird
he who got there first, couldn’t stand to be alone
wandered off seeking, a juried trial
he it’s the bird
in August heat, April’s defeat, wheels are spinning in the air
but wishful thoughts, must have got, somebody somewhere
holds the key to no city, no one is waiting up for him
the doors are closed, and those who pose as windows all broke in
now there’s only feathers left, though he’d never hurt a bird
on your lawn they shiver, quiver and roll
hey it’s the bird
he who got there first, couldn’t stand to be alone
wandered off seeking, a juried trial
hey it’s the bird

KING OF THE WEST

he’s an alternative legend
made the local papers
he’s an American savior
for anyone who remembers
there’s always something in his eye
like the sky but twice as wide
how can he be who he is, and still be so gentle?
he is so unfazed
smile upon his face
no pride left to wound
occupies his space
he is so unfazed
he is so unfazed!
the king of the west
I used to walk down on Saturday
and watch him working on leather
outside the window in the winter light
horses were standing forever
there’s always something in his eye
like the sky but twice as high
how can he be dead and gone, and the world gone so wrong?
he is so unfazed
smile upon his face
no pride left to wound
occupies his space
he is so unfazed
he is so unfazed!
the king of the west
the king of the west turns his back on the rodeo

SHE LIED

I heard your girl, cut her hair for you
I heard her say, the two of you were through
she did, she did, she did
oh but she lied
I heard her say, she don’t smoke that much
like her heart was about to be broken, so casually touched
she was, she was, she was
oh but she lied
did she love you? a young girl’s summertime lie
it was a kind hand that kept her from speaking, and she was denied
she was, she was, she was
oh but she lied

PANIC IN THE SUN

panic in the sun, no holiday
learn about myself, and feeling strange
here’s everything at once, have a nice day
have a nice day
here’s an advertisements for the way I feel
riding in a car with nobody at the wheel
walking down the street on the verge of tears
you’re so proud of your teenage years
well, fuck your public journeys, gonna make my own
gonna find out how, to be alone
rock n roll is dead, it’s had its day
in another time, had something to say
with magical effect, it keeps us young
it keeps us dumb

TOUCHING

rollin out on a desert road
friends and boat make up the load
her hand touched mine as the truck swayed
kept it there couldn’t pull away
though I’m sure I couldn’t have loved her anyway
oh what moves her? and what scars her?
and what brings her down onto her knees?
i wonder if I’ll ever see her again
for that matter what about the rest of my friends
we’re changing magnets kept apart in time
she goes her way and someone else goes mine
but I’m sure I couldn’t have loved her anyway
oh what moves him? and what scars him?
and what brings him down onto his knees?
rolling down on a river boat
conversations, couples sorting out
sometimes they win, sometimes they lose
but eventually I see them wearing smooth
but I’m sure I couldn’t have loved her anyway
oh what moves them? and what scars them?
and what brings them down onto their knees?
every night they lie entwined
i wonder if they’ll find they’re coming closer?
the closest we can get might be a lie
but I felt her hand, it was touching mine
though I’m sure I couldn’t have loved her anyway
oh what moves me? and what scars me?
and what brings me down onto my knees?
and what moves me, it’s what scars me
it’s what brings me down onto my knees

A PE LA CHEN SPRING

TONGUE

a magazine tract, a blistering creed
I heard my name, couldn’t lean back, without feeling shame
oh I’ll be the tongue that saves the crumb
an animate fact, a medicine dream
how can I stay? better than that, how can I pay?
oh I’ll be the tongue that saves the crumb
I don’t need fun
they wished it away, oh lonesome actors
well fed and done, they took to the fold, of the cheap king
oh I’ll be the tongue that saves the crumb
I don’t need fun
wish I could rise, above the ground
I’d hover up there, just lookin around
the near and the far, seamless and sound
it all looks painterly, with your head in the ground
but it’s hard to imagine, the cumberland night
if I could fly, you know I’d be like an angel
gather it in, and set it back right
so it all looks fine, oh vicious crowd
but the backs of the hills, are broken in roads
are stripped of their clothes, are punctured by holes
I’ll be the tongue that saves the crumb
I don’t need fun
I’ll whisper I do, to that aching of mine
for the right word, and the right time
my homemade divine
oh I’ll be the tongue that saves the crumb

A PE LA CHEN SPRING

sirens scream through town, every single day
the pills that I been taking, won’t make it go away
the smoke of burning trash, like fog down on the river
I disappeared without a shiver
flowery white flowers, my heart is shutting down
this beautiful insanity, follows me around
two girls arrive for church, one bends over by the car
I watch her legs from across the street, smooth and tan in the cold light
if I was her god, I’d answer every prayer
just to see her, kneeling there
flowery white flowers, my heart is caving in
this beautiful insanity, is everywhere I’ve been
she holds her child, patiently
she won’t be her ma, patiently
oh she holds her child, reverently
till he stops kicking the seat
in the shadow of a mountain, old men choke on air
widows waiting in the wings, where there’s no forced remembering
April brings out youth, fledgelings at the wheel
on their night wings, made of steel
flowery white flowers, my heart is burning down
this beautiful insanity, follows me around
oh flowery white flowers, my heart is caving in
this beautiful insanity, is all that’s sure to live

VEIL

now I have been here a week, and growing in the words I speak
and in my quiet time alone
carousels of conviction, slower warming tone
despite the underlying sadness in a mountain peak
now to try a different stride, you must change the force applied
to seasoned feet accustomed limbs
in prison cells of attrition, where else have I been?
like forest overburden the crumbling truth gets pushed aside
now the coal camp far below, houses pale as falling snow
that winter branches turn to gray
dead diesel and a thin horse, what is here to stay?
the veil of now is hiding what I used to love and know
now I wonder how to say, without a pause to give away
what I believe and hope for this
aerosol of potential, I do not speak of bliss
but rather something used, something yet to see the blight of pay

WALKING AWAY

hello my dear, there is something that I have to tell to you
our son has died
you might have thought that the tv story had a happy end
it was a lie
families awake and their anxious faces sent across the land
blinking in the lights
the media are here and reporters cryin someone else’s tears
too broke up to get the story straight anyhow
same story different coal mine
old folks say they know what’s right
young man workin through the night
it’s money in your pocket though
until it blows a hole or you die
in a room that’s got no window and no door
where one was before
say you had luck like mine and had sixteen tons that fell and broke your spine
say you survived
same story different coal mine
as long as there is coal and as long as there is war and crime to beat
pain will have a manly place to hide
son I never thought you would listen when I said that coal was good enough for me
you should have walked away
but I wanted you to stay
ya gotta try it on son

NOTHING SEEMS THE SAME IN A WARM SPRING RAIN

nothing seems the same in a warm spring rain
though April hasn’t come and the winter isn’t done
nothing brutal seems to stay, keeps the loneliness at bay
when you hurt
it all seems to work, it makes you feel alert
when light and shadow interplay, don’t mention the coal today
just the soft and gentle soil, and the sky lives, puddles boil
as rain falls through the ruins of your town
don’t you know that I come from the same kind of unachievin place
so I think when I look in I’m seein myself again reflected in a hopeless situation
but springtime comes and morning comes and shows we’re hypochondriacs at heart
but there will be a day when I pack my things and move away
to avoid the feeling that I’ll end up as I am – always the same
nothing seems to bite your heels, everything you see looks real
three dimensions swelling wood, concrete never looked so good
water on your skin at night, connecting you to all that’s right
as you rise, alone

PGM

I can’t believe what he’s sayin, my mind won’t let me
I gotta stay civilized, I’m already bent
the moon’s like a searchlight, makes a mess of the forest tonight
this new information is haunting I’m loaded with questions
how long was its hair? did you see how it moved?
how did you feel when it came down the hill through the trees?
and when it turned to look in your soul with its glowing red eyes were you born?
born to believing the spirit can take any form?
well I been on polk gap but I haven’t seen anything like that
these aren’t the details that you would expect in a lie
when someone down here says they swear on the bible you mind
down in this mess of industrial bondage, absentee overlords
there’s guaranteed shadows hide much scarier things
how long was its hair? did you see how it moved?
how did you feel when it came down the hill through the trees?
and when it turned to look in your soul with its glowing red eyes were you born?
born to believing the spirit can take any form?
well I been on polk gap but I haven’t seen anything like that
you must understand there’s exceptions to every rule
the river rolls on each wave stands different, waits for our bones
we’re frightened by things that don’t seem to conform to a plan
but not everything scary is evil so be of good cheer – and howl!
how long was its hair? did you see how it moved?
how did you feel when it came down the hill through the trees?
and when it turned to look in your soul with its glowing red eyes were you born?
born to believing the spirit can take any form?
well I been on polk gap but I haven’t seen anything like that

EMMYLOU

the dress that she wore, the cross that she bore
were incidental to the soul she bared
the singer had his way, he left us here to play
though his voice still lingers, hard to bear
Emmylou, Emmylou, tell me what to do
I could live inside your voice forever
and I love to hear you now, and I’d marry you somehow
if only we could live where nothing matters
the circus came to town, me and Earl we went out
we looked those pretty girls up and down
they changed and went away, but we were left the same
and we went our separate ways, hard to bear
Emmylou, Emmylou, tell me what to do
I could live inside your voice forever
and I love to hear you now, and I’d marry you somehow
if only we could live where nothing matters
every singer has a way of reminding me how I first knew them by ear
down low or up on high in her voice the arrow’s true
in hard, hard times
I shall not drive alone, with her voice to call me home
though the highway leads me on and on tonight
in the morning when I wake, will I see my big mistake
will I find it too hard, hard to bear
Emmylou, Emmylou, tell me what to do
I could live inside your voice forever
and I love to hear you now, and I’d marry you somehow
if only we could live where nothing matters
but song

MORNING LIGHT

morning light, strange as a dream
crossing the dark universe
makes me believe, I can still make believe
and come and go as I please
pull up a chair and be served
everybody can’t wait for dessert
but I can’t believe that we’re wasting our time
caught in a sad pantomime
chained to a circular gun
if a man must compromise
take a seat and close his eyes
while others do his fratricide
lets their conduct be his guide
then I decide – I decline
we’ve still got a beautiful moment left to live
we are not but what we give

TIME AND LOVE

we do not yet know ourselves, but we know the tolling bell…

HIT ME WITH THE SOUTH

if you’re gonna hit me with the south, baby
give me some good old country blues
give me a lonesome, wind-swept road song
one way drifting with nothing to lose
just don’t give me no fake-ass muscle bound phony chrome country music
no biceps bigger than Dolly’s breasts country music
just give me somethin sweet and restless
that goes out drinkin and comes home thinkin
what’s becomin of me?
don’t sing me no song that you didn’t make yourself
if it’s calculated to patronize
a radio prescription for American anxiety
a countrified nation of of country fried minds
just don’t give me your fake-ass muscle bound phony chrome country music
no slyly political commercialized country music
just give me somethin sweet and restless
that goes out drinkin and comes home thinkin
what’s becomin of me?
it’s a jacked up truck ridin high on pride
with a satisfied driver just along for the ride
pullin us in two, breakin up the glue
with a punk rock attitude that don’t ring true
so don’t give me no fake-ass muscle bound phony chrome country music
no not sayin sayin so, nudge and wink country music
just give me something sweet and restless
that goes out drinkin and comes home thinkin
what’s becomin of me

YOUR HEART IS A COUNTRY

mother don’t cry if you’re daughter’s not a home tonight
she’s safe inside a womb of her own devise yeah she’s high
no one understands her courtship in blood, how close can you get
love could meet halfway but she’s gone to meet her man instead
oh you say don’t look back but I can’t believe that you’d smoke crack
and so I ask, what good is this doing you?
I can’t say I know her all that well she might be 25
I wasn’t there when she slept with a ghost upon her doorstep, unresponsive bones
oh you say don’t look back but I can’t believe that you’d smoke crack
and so I ask, what good is this doing you?
your heart is a country with both sad and joyous places to live
you gave more than any of us who ever lived there could understand
oh you say don’t look back but I can’t believe that you’d smoke crack
and so I ask, what good is this doing you?

SIDE BY SIDE

I’ll take your hand sister as we drift
in parallel and complimentary lift
we don’t see shadows we don’t see cracks
just keep drifting down our white plastic tracks
I don’t know how to explain, but I don’t know how to stay
side by side, never collide
I don’t know how to enjoy, when I don’t know how to play
side by side, never collide, never collide
crying in the information age
these tangled knots they leave you so unfazed
each thing in its place each sentimental face
buried in a cold facsimile
I don’t know how to explain, but I don’t know how to stay
side by side, never collide
I don’t know how to enjoy, when I don’t know how to play
side by side, never collide, never collide
remember we were strange? In any other year…
divided by a veil, maintained carefully
I held on too long, hoping for something
to keep me cool and dry at night
as I lay awake wondering
how can I be free of the need for intimacy?
the art of letting go seems so chilly
I’ll take your hand sister in my dreams
and lead you away from this field of schemes
I’ve never understood the ingredients of love
they’re just dead pieces littering the ground
I don’t know how to explain, but I don’t know how to stay
side by side, never collide
I don’t know how to enjoy, when I don’t know how to play
side by side, never collide, never collide

BABY ANNIE

turning into nothin in the wake of a smile
love was simmering and spilled out on the tiles
lovers united on the random tides
think they see the world in the glint of an eye
and though love’s let them down so many times they can’t count
they’ll look back and never see
that if each hadn’t been there, when they needed love to share
they might have found a better way to be
instead of singing baby when I said that I needed more time to myself
what I really meant was I’m doing fine
and I don’t need you now and I never did
so take all your money and run, away from me, please
baby Annie
the moment that we shared must have been a dream
now redecorated and a little too obscene
floats behind us like smoke out on the line
you think it’s a shame but I think it’s all right
and though love’s let them down so many times they can’t count
they’ll look back and never see
that if each hadn’t been there, when they needed love to share
they might have found a better way to be
instead of singing baby when I said that I needed more time to myself
what I really meant was I’m doing fine
and I don’t need you now and I never did
so take all your money and run, away from me, please
baby Annie
wanna run away from post industrial time
the means of production grown up over in vines
nothin left to be for and no where to hide
I think it’s a shame you must think it’s all right
and though love’s let them down so many times they can’t count
they’ll look back and never see
that if each hadn’t been there, when they needed love to share
they might have found a better way to be
instead of singing baby when I said that I needed more time to myself
what I really meant was I’m doing fine
and I don’t need you now and I never did
so take all your money and run, away from me, please
baby Annie
wanna run away but I never will
never walk lock step in any kind of drill
jesus believe me I never will
I’ll be here at morning when it breaks on the hill
jesus believe me I never will
let myself get empty while others get their fill of me

HOW

drivin in cars won’t make me happy
there’s nothin you can do to make me smile
she don’t wanna walk and I don’t wanna talk
so I’m drinkin in a bar from a plastic cup of love
it’s all the entertainment I have known since she left
I’d be happy drinkin here if I loved my fellow man
it’s easy thinkin I’ll just go and find another friend
what keeps me drinkin here is knowin how that too would end
boring stories from a hapless asshole
try to tell a joke and make her smile
fifty million tears runnin down the eyeway
I’m chokin on the dust from the plastic words of love
it’s all the respiration I have known since she left
I’d be happy drinkin here if I loved my fellow man
it’s easy thinkin I’ll just go and find another friend
what keeps me drinkin here is knowin how that too would end
disappointed girlfriend, why keep hangin on when,
I keep gettin it wrong when, independent bodies they get along
novelty I can’t help but notice
already I been talkin to someone new
gotta get away before I get too close
so I’m runnin for my life from the razor jaws of love
it’s all the exercise I have known since she left
I’d be happy drinkin here if I loved my fellow man
it’s easy thinkin I’ll just go and find another friend
what keeps me drinkin here is knowin how that too would end
disappointed girlfriend, why keep hangin on when,
I keep gettin it wrong when, independent bodies they get along

ROLL COAL

roll roll coal, roll on to the sea
roll roll coal, roll right by me
got no time to behold
got no mind to be told
what is and what ain’t
by a billboard
roll roll coal, roll on to the sea
roll roll coal, you never set nobody free
got no time to behold
got no mind to be told
what is and what ain’t
by a billboard
I’d grab a lump for me, I’d grab a lump for thee, I’d grab a lump for free
but she’s movin much too fast

MERCY

Buddy Price was made of nothing but will
he shoveled coal and he worked the drill
at the face of the old Flat Top mine
he lived mighty hard in twenty-eight years
he worked without stopping, he worked without fear
at the face of the old Flat Top mine
one underground morning fate caught up with him
he was working on Sunday and scabbing his kin
at the face of the old Flat Top mine
a slab from the roof came down on his shoulder
laid him right down and his leg caught the boulder
at the face of the old Flat Top mine

he was pale as a ghost and they thought it’s too late
the picket was solemn as they drove out the gate
at the head of Herndon holler
they took him on down to the company’s best doctor
who sewed up the holes and gave him some water
down in Herndon holler
they told Buddy son we think that you’ll live
but two weeks pay is all we can give
down in Herndon holler
then his wife Mercy appeared at his bed
she saw that his eyes were like coals in his head
down in Herndon holler

well it’s hey ho we’ll carry him home
in this world here or another
hey ho we’ll carry him home
our comrade, our younger brother

he willed his recovery amidst broken bones
the company was only happy to drive him back home
to the house on Beartown mountain
they carried him in two men to a side
and laid him in bed where his father had died
in the house on Beartown mountain
all of the summer Mercy stayed by his bed
the baby was crying and the mules were unfed
at the house on Beartown mountain
he stared at the ceiling he hobbled around
in the afternoon sun on his father’s ground
at the house on Beartown mountain

Mercy took work in the holler below
cleaning the clubhouse and washing the clothes
what would you do if you were her?
she worked till she couldn’t and then worked some more
with the babe at her side she was broken and sore
what would you do if you were her?
the boss worked her hard and he worked her cheap
she couldn’t keep up for falling asleep
what would you do if you were her?
when she got fired there were three hungry mouths
that lay without talking in the old family house
that’s what you’d do if you were her

Bill was a cousin a company man
stopped by one day to talk about land
something was carried in him
he said there’s a doctor down there in Charleston
can fix broken legs, even this one
something was there in the wind
Buddy saw a snake and he saw a great river
the sun sailed backwards and he knew with a shiver
something was burying him
what was the name of that doctor you know?
I can’t remember, Bill got up to go
cause something was staring at him

he turned out the old mules with a slap on the rear
yelled don’t you ever come back you hear?
and he ran after them in his heart
as he turned to the east with a crutch in each arm
he saw Mercy staring at him from the farmhouse
and he pushed her away in his heart
he followed her in and he grabbed her rough hands
said don’t you pretend like you don’t understand
and he pushed her away in his heart
I’ll get this leg fixed by that doctor in Charleston
then I can work and provide like I’m something
and he pushed her away in his heart

Buddy cried Mercy, they just want your land
and even like that you can still be a man
but it looks like a new way to live
he looked at his leg and he looked out the window
it seemed like his life was a rotten potato
and it seemed like no way to live
yes, I’ll go and find work, it won’t be that bad
remember that garden that we used to have?
and it looks like a new way to live
his body was there but his soul was removed
maybe the pain had softened the glue
cause it looked like no way to live

cousin Bill knew about time and despair
in a couple of days he stopped back by there
with some papers that said what they said
Buddy said sit and I hope you don’t mind
don’t you say one goddamn word once we’ve signed
the papers that said what they said
cousin Bill stood up and drove down the holler
and there on the table lay five hundred dollars
by the papers that said what they said
Buddy was stone and Mercy just cried
but the moles in the ground were still satisfied
though the papers still said what they said

they left with the frost in the morning of empire
in a wagon of wood that his cousin had hired
they were taken away from the land
they sank through the years on that hard red dog road
it’s a long way to Mullens when you’ve just sold your home
they were taken away from the land
they dropped Mercy off to stay with relations
the wagon took Buddy on down to the station
they were taken away from the land
the whistle’s long moan echoed all through the hills
dressed up in copper that don’t pay the bills
they were taken away from the land

the townspeople stopped and they gazed at the train
as it left with the rich men and the poor men the same
but it was them that felt most like leaving
Mercy heard the whistle as she opened her suitcase
and a look of sheer terror came onto her face
and it was she that felt most like running
five hundred dollars lay on top with a note
you’ll find a way is all Buddy had wrote
and it was she that felt most like dying
Buddy you left me with these cold dollar bills
now how will you ever return to these hills?
and it was she that felt most like leaving

some people say he got off at Deepwater
or maybe he’s in Charleston still looking for a doctor
maybe you know what happened
knowing this tale is both made up and true
my guess is he made it without coming through
maybe you know what happened
I’m writing these words and I’m trying to make good
work hard with a pen, and I do what I should
maybe you know what’s coming
doctors are helpful, they save their patients
but poets kill heroes, just to make statements
so maybe you know what’s coming

I see him on the platform, in between coaches
drifting sensations as the nightfall approaches
rolling on down like the water
the smoke of the autumn, last light on the ridge
the boom of the timbers on the Deepwater bridge
rolling on down like the water
his body a shadow that blends with the night
and peels off the train in a last graceful flight
falling on down to the water
so if you see Buddy in heaven or Charleston
won’t you help him to walk back to Mercy again?
for he’s fallen on down to the water

when Mercy accepted she damn near died
he wouldn’t return with a confident stride
though she prayed to have him back
none of the trainmen down on the Virginian
had any answers but they had opinions
they whispered behind her back
she took all that cash, bought a house in the bottom
she took in laundry, all through the autumn
she put it upon her back
she felt like a hole had been torn in the sky
but then came the winter and her baby died
and she couldn’t see the way back

she couldn’t work with the aching inside her
so she took in a boarder, a broken up miner
and that’s how she changed her life
just like she’d done Buddy, she nurtured that man
she found she felt better when lending a hand
that’s how she changed his life
the life that she gave, returned in her self
she felt something growing as he regained his health
she knew she could change her life
when the miner could walk, he thought he could run
he couldn’t confront the good deed that she’d done
because she’d changed his life

many broken men passed through that house
and when they were healed she’d watch them run out
but they never could steal from her now
some left her with children some left her with debt
in the church on the hill they are slighting her yet
but they never can steal from her now
so if you’ve got an opinion about how she makes do
remember that someone will be judging you
you never can steal from her now
so keep in mind Mercy is the mother of plenty
you’ll see her likeness in the faces you meet
and no one can steal from her now

we can spell Mercy by nurturing men
and finally bringing this tale to an end
so many are broken inside!

well its hey ho we’ll carry him home
from the Kanawha back to the mountain
it’s hey ho we’ll carry him home
just like Mercy woulda done