Look out, Mama,
theres a white boat
comin up the river
With a big red beacon,
and a flag,
and a man on the rail
I think youd better call John,
Cause it dont
look like theyre here
to deliver the mail
And its less than a mile away
I hope they didnt come to stay
Its got numbers on the side
and a gun
And its makin big waves.
Daddys gone,
my brothers out hunting
in the mountains
Big Johns been drinking
since the river took Emmy-Lou
So the powers that be
left me here
to do the thinkin
And I just turned twenty-two
I was wonderin what to do
And the closer they got,
The more those feelings grew.
Daddys rifle in my hand
felt reassurin
He told me,
Red means run, son,
numbers add up to nothin
But when the first shot
hit the docks I saw it comin
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky.
Shelter me from the powder
and the finger
Cover me with the thought
that pulled the trigger
Think of me
as one youd never figured
Would fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love,
I know Ill miss her.
|
