Prologue
On the twelth of April, 1861, Confederate guns opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, thus beginning the bloodiest conflict in American History--620,000 dead--more than all other American wars combined.
Brother, My Brother
Brother my brother
Lincoln: The Better Angels Of Our Nature
In your hands, my dissatisfied countrymen,
By The Sword/Sons Of Dixie
I remember the first day we fell in for drill
Tell My Father
Tell my father that his son
My Name Is Frederick Douglass
My name is Frederick Douglass.
Freedom's Child
Look at these hands...
Look at these words:
...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...
Missing You (My Bill)
I learned to chop a tree today
If Prayin' Were Horses
Don't cry for what might have been
Virginia
There was a time...
The Day The Sun Stood Still
We were young and bound for glory
Oh, Be Joyful!
When this war is over
Frederick Douglass; The Destiny Of America
Liberty won by white men would lose half its luster. "Who would be free themselves must strike the first blow." Better even die free, than lives slaves. The relation between the white and colored people of this country is the great, paramount, imperative and all-consuming question for this age and nation to solve. The destiny of the colored American is the destiny of America.
Father How Long?
Tell me, my father, tell me how long
Reprise: Brother, My Brother
A line in long array
A Nurse's Diary
In one bed a young man, Company K, Seventh Maine--sick with dysentery and typhoid fever--pretty critical case--I talk with him often--he thinks he will die--looks like it too.
I Never Knew His Name
I never knew his name
Still I Rise
Out of the huts of history's shame
River Jordan
We break our backs for the master's pleasure
Lincoln: The Bottom Is Out Of The Tub
If I had my way, this war would never have been commenced.
How Many Devils?
One... Two...
Old Gray Coat
Well, they gave me this old coat
With These Hands
Look at these hands
The White House At Night
February 24th.
A Candle In The Window
Hurry through the night
Greenback
Allow me to introduce myself:
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place wherever. Nobody ever helps me into carriages or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place. And ain't I a woman? Look at me! I have ploughed and planted and gathered into barns and no man could head me. And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man--when I could get it--and bear the lash as well. And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me. And ain't I a woman?...
Someday
Gather round me children
Regimental Drummer
He ran off to find adventure
I'll Never Pass This Way Again
I was born beside this river
Lincoln: Letter To Mrs. Bixby
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.
Five Boys
Five boys playing in a field with angels
Judgment Day
...And sometimes it's too much to bear
Sarah
Oh, Sarah, my Sarah
If fate is kind I'll soon be by your side
The Honor Of Your Name
Today a man came to our door
Northbound Train
I read your letter 'bout a hundred times today
Last Waltz For Dixie
Here tonight...
In Great Deeds
In great deed something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass, bodies disappear but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision place of the soul. And reverent men and women from afar and generations that know us not and that we know not of, shall come here to ponder and to dream and the power of the vision that shall pass into their souls.
The Glory
North:
E-mail me.
� 2000 [email protected]
The Civil War remains this nation's single most defining experience, ultimately giving new meaning to the word Freedom. Walt Whitman, a young newspaperman destined to become America's greatest poet wrote: "Future years will never know the seething hell and the black infernal background of this war--and it is best they should not--the real war will never get in the books."
One blue and one gray
Will meet upon a quiet field
The morn of judgment day
Brother my brother
God has heard your battle call
Now he'll watch his precious children
Learn how to stand, learn how to fall
And his eyes will look away
For his heart will so be torn
As his fields of gold turn scarlet
From the rage of battle born
And the silence of the night
Will be broken with the cries
Of the ones who've been forgotten
On the quiet field where honor lies
Give me now a splendid sun
With all his light full clear
Give me now a gentle autumn
Before the dying of the year
And some green unbloodied grass
While I can still see far
Give me one night on a river
And one unfailing star
Brother my brother
One blue and one gray
Will meet upon a quiet field
The morn of judgment day
Brother my brother
God has heard your battle call
Now he'll watch his precious children
Learn how to stand, learn how to fall
and not in mine
is the momentous issue of civil war.
The government will not assail you
You have no conflicts, without being yourselves the aggressors.
We are not enemies, but friends.
We must not be enemies.
Though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection.
The mystic chords of memory,
stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave,
to every living heart all across the broad land,
will yet swell the chorus of the union,
when again touched, as surely they will be
by the better angels of our nature.
For if destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author.
As a nation of Free Men, we must live through all time,
or die of suicide.
We were green as a new dollar bill
I remember your mamma just cried through the night
When her Charlie-boy left for the fight
Now the battle is near
And the moment is here
It's the union forever
When the blue meets the gray
Every rebel will pay
By the sword...
By the sword...
By the sword...
By the vow we have taken
Now we awaken
Our flag flying high
We will live or we'll die
By the sword
I can shoot a mounted horseman
From half a mile away
I can take a hill and hold it till
We meet on judgment day
I will cut a dashing figure
I will make the ladies swoon
I'll be back by fall to kill 'em all
If the war don't end too soon
We'll make 'em all skedaddle
Long before the cotton's high
We can whoop 'em in a battle
Sure 'nough whoop 'em do or die
When the sons of Dixie take to the field
Then the battle is won
For we never will yield
When the sons of Dixie fire their guns
Then we'll all see how fast
That a scared Yankee runs
When we lick 'em...
We'll get home before the first snow
With a chest full of medals to show
When we lick 'em...
They'll be one hellatious parade
Yeah, and maybe by then we'll get paid!
All for one, one for all
So let's open the ball
It's the Union forever
By the angels above
By all that we love...
By the sword...
By the sword...
By the sword...
We will march through the fire
We'll climb ever higher
By the dawn's early light
We will stand up and fight
By the sword
I won't let no damn Yankee
Tell me how I'm gonna live
I will not forget and you can bet
I ain't tendin' to forgive
So let's polish up our muskets
And give the rebel yell
We'll chase 'em back to Washington
Or send 'em all to hell
We'll send 'em all a' runnin'
From the warm Virginia sun
So let 'em come a' gunnin'
And we'll show 'em how it's done
When the sons of Dixie
Take to the field
Then the battle is won
For we never will yield
When the sons of Dixie
Fire their guns
Then we'll all see how fast
That a scared Yankee runs
Now the battle is near
And the moment is here
It's (the Union/Old Dixie) forever
When the blue meets the gray
Every (rebel/Yankee) will pay
When the sons of Dixie
Take to the field
(By the sword...)
Then the battle is won
(By the sword...)
For we never will yield
When the sons of Dixie
Fire their guns
(By the sword...)
Then we'll all see how fast
(By the sword...)
That a scared Yankee runs
With our flag flying high
We will live or we'll die
By the sword
Didn't run, or surrender
That I bore his name with pride
As I tried to remember
You are judged by what you do
While passing through
As I rest 'neath fields of green
Let him lean on your shoulder
Tell him how I spent my youth
So the truth could grow older
Tell my father when you can
I was a man
Tell him we will meet again
Where the angels learn to fly
Tell him we will meet as men
For with honor did I die
Tell him how I wore the blue
Proud and true through the fire
Tell my father so he'll know
I love him so
Till him how he wore the blue
Proud and true like he taught us
Tell my father not to cry
Then say goodbye
I am the son of a slave and a white man.
I appear before you this evening as a thief and a robber.
I stole this head, these limbs, this body, from my master, and ran off with them.
I ask you:
Are the principles of political freedom and natural justice embodied in the Declaration of Independence extended to us?
Where slavery is, there liberty cannot be--
Where liberty is, there slavery cannot be.
The contest must now be decided.
And decided forever, which of the two
freedom or slavery
shall give law to this republic.
Let the conflict come.
I stole them from my master
Look through these eyes...
Imagine what they've seen
This long, dark night
Must now come to an end
A holy light
Is just around the bend
Today we fight
For all the ground in-between
The words we say and what we really mean
So let the bells of freedom ring
Let the dogs of war run wild
From out the age of darkness bring
The birth of Freedom's child
"To God, all men are equal"
Write them again
In letters black and strong
Till all are free
We'll all live as a slave
We all must be
The land born to the brave
Till you and me
Can find a place to belong
Where we believe what isn't right
Must be wrong
So let the bells of freedom ring
Let the dogs of war run wild
From out the age of darkness bring
The birth of freedom's child
So throw my brother's chains away
No more to be exiled
And get down on your knees and pray
We'll all be freedom's child
All of those years standing outside
Knocking on Heaven's door
All of those tears all of us cried
Give us our freedom ... nothing less and
Nothing more
So let the bells of freedom ring
Let the dogs of war run wild
From out the age of darkness bring
The birth of freedom's child
So throw my brother's chains away
No more to be exiled
And get down on your knees and pray
We'll all be freedom's child
I laughed so hard I cried
And Billy helped and scraped his knee
But he took it all in stride
Day by day I get by
Makin' do the best I can
When the sun slowly sets
Just behind our hill
Then the memories come
In the evening chill
How I long for your touch
Like a lover will
Oh, I'm missin' you
God, I'm missin' you...
My Bill
The parlor roof still leakes a bit
Where the gable meets the eve
You always meant to get to it
But I know you had to leave
Thank God there's so much to do
It's the work that gets me through
When the sun slowly sets
Just behind our hill
Then the memories come
In the evening chill
How I long for your touch
Like a lover will
Oh, I'm missin' you
God, I'm missin' you...
My Bill
So I count the days
And I think up ways
To speed them by
But when day is through
I remember you and cry
When the sun slowly sets
Just behind our hill
Then the memories come
In the evening chill
How I long for your touch
Like a lover will
Oh, I'm missin' you
God, I'm missin' you...
My Bill
There ain't enough tears
To empty the ocean of my sorrow
We're strangers a'wanderin'
The prarie of years
Born to be waitin' for tomorrow
And freedom ain't comin' soon enough for me
And sure 'nough ain't comin' for free
If prayin' were horses all of us would ride
And ever I'd be by your side
Don't cry for what might have been
There ain't enough time
Just hold me and memorize my story
This country we're travelin'
Is all up-hill climb
It's windy and empty and so lonely
If prayin' were horses all of us would ride
And ever I'd be by your side
Move along now like a river
Don't you ever look back
Feel our people like a river
Runnin' fast, deep and black
Don't cry for what might have been
There ain't enough tears
To empty the ocean of my sorrow
We're strangers a'wanderin'
The prarie of years
Born to be waitin' for tomorrow
And freedom ain't comin' soon enough for me
And sure 'nough ain't comin' for free
If prayin' were horses all of us would ride
And ever I'd be by your side
And ever I'd be by your side
A time of splendor and grace
When the world moved by
At a kinder pace
There was a land...
A land to pleasure the eyes
Where the old was new
And the foolish wise
I can hear Virginia
When the south wind sings
And I see her shining
On a blackbird's silver wings
And I can feel Virginia
Runnin' through my soul
When the flag unfurls
And drummers start their long, long roll
Oh, sacred ground
For which so many have died
Let us take our turn
For our country's pride
Oh, blessed place
Remember all of your sons
Who will stand and fall
'Neath the ceaseless guns
I can hear Virginia
When the south wind sings
And I see her shining
On a blackbird's silver wings
And I can feel Virginia
Runnin' through my soul
When the flag unfurls
And drummers start their long, long roll
Will I ever see her rise again?
Or are the old days gone, has the world moved on?
Will she ever grace our eyes again?
Tell me when?
I can hear Virginia
When the south wind sings
And I see her shining
On a blackbird's silver wings
And I can feel Virginia
Runnin' through my soul
When the flag unfurls
And drummers start their long, long roll
Itchin' for a fight like you
Bringin' hell and purgatory
To the boys who wore the blue
And I thought I'd seen it all
Till the day night wouldn't fall
Oh how the sun did blaze
Wouldn't go down for days
I got shot and lost my rifle
When the first wave hit the rise
And the guns rolled out like thunder
And the black smoke burned my eyes
And I watched it all unfold
Just the way the Bible told
Joshua's endless day
Keepin' the night at bay
And the soldiers kept a' comin'
Till the ground looked like a sea
Of blue and gray
And I watched them from a distance
Wondrin' if I would've fought or run away
The day the sun stood still
How they beat the bloody drums
And the seconds moved like hours
But the sunset never comes
And the cannons shake the ground
And the bullets test your will
Even shadows found no cover
On that godforsaken hill
The day the sun stood still
And I watched them lean their shoulders
To the fearful hail of lead
And I prayed for night to save us
And I cried and bowed my head
But the sun just kept a' creepin'
'Cross a cold indifferent sky
Castin' a deadly glow
On all the men below
All the hours in a lifetime
Don't add up to one whole minute
In that sun
And the heroes and the cowards
Look the same when they have fallen
By the gun
The day the sun stood still
And the north and south looked west
But the evening star was sleeping
And the daylight wouldn't rest
Out on the killing floor
The red sun on the hill
Shinin' down on all the dead men
With a strange and eerie chill
The day the sun stood still
Do not judge what your brother does
Till you've walked a mile
Rank by bloody file
Who's to say if you'll run or stay
And fight?
The day the sun stood still
Is just beneath the skin
In the soul of every soldier
Every battle that he's in
The day the sun stood still
Will haunt your dreams at night
And stalk your every sunrise
Though you will not know it till
The day the sun stands still
How they'll beat the bloody drums
And the seconds move like hours
But the sunset never comes
And the cannons shake the ground
And the bullets test your will
Even shadows find no cover
On some godforsaken hill on
The day the sun stood still
And we all have passed away
There'll be some damn fool in some damn school
Who'll write about today
He'll tell them how we all survived
This bullcrap everyday
And never said that thing it was
That helped along the way
Oh be joyful... makes my troubles disappear
A cup of oh be joyful makes me joyful I am here
Oh be joyful... only you can set me free
If you're good enough for U.S. Grant
You're good enough for me
We get up every morning
And we march through all this mud
Always totin' this and liftin' that
And eatin' some ole' spud
And if you find a woman
You are bound to catch the frud
But there is always one thing
That will ossify the blood
Oh be joyful... makes my troubles disappear
A cup of oh be joyful makes me joyful I am here
Oh be joyful... only you can set me free
If you're good enough for U.S. Grant
You're good enough for me
Bad shoes, bad food, lousy brass
Oh be joyful save my ass
Well, we march and do the double-quick
The sergeant's too damn rough
This dixie mud is mighty slick
And this bread is hard and tough
That's the crap they put us through
But brother we obey
So thank God for his nectar
That will get us through the day
Oh be joyful... makes my troubles disappear
A cup of oh be joyful makes me joyful I am here
Oh be joyful... only you can set me free
If you're good enough for U.S. Grant
You're good enough for me
John Brown is lyin' in his grave
And son, you would be too
If you ate this crap they gave us
It would turn your innards blue
I don't know but I been told
A soldier's life is hell
But son, I'll give you somethin'
That'll get ya' mighty well
Oh be joyful... makes my troubles disappear
A cup of oh be joyful makes me joyful I am here
Oh be joyful... only you can set me free
If you're good enough for U.S. Grant
You're good enough for me
Bad shoes, bad food, lousy brass
Oh be joyful save my ass
Our father who art in Washington
Abraham be they name
Thy will be done to everyone
And Dixie take the blame
Give us our daily ration
Of crackers, salt, and pork
For thine might be the power
But let us pull the cork
The sergeant's too damn rough
This dixie mud is mighty slick
Oh be joyful... makes my trouble disappear
A cup of oh be joyful makes me joyful I am here
Oh be joyful... only you can set me free
If you're good enough for U.S. Grant
You're good enough for me
Oh be joyful... makes my trouble disappear
A cup of oh be joyful makes me joyful I am here
Oh be joyful... only you can set me free
If you're good enough for U.S. Grant
You're good enough for me
Will boys keep dyin' for freedom's song
Before we find a place to belong
Tell me, my father, how long?
Won't bow to no man, I got my pride
This dream I'm dreamin' can't be denied
How long till I can sing freedom's song?
Tell me, my father, how long?
I cry my tears
The same as any man you see
So, God, please tell me why
This man ain't free
No more this darkness, bring me the light
Show me your mornin' cast off this night
How long will I can sing freedom's song?
Tell me, my father,
Tell me, my father,
Tell me, my father, how long?
Where they wind betwixt the green
Their arms flash in the sun
But their faces can't be seen
Behold the silv'ry river
Where their horses stop to drink
Scarlet blue and golden spurs
A chain you can't unlink
Keep your still indifferent sun
That will never warm my fear
Keep your cold and endless winter
And this old and friendless year
Give me women and their ways
And their complicated eyes
Give me respite from these days
And the wisdom to be wise
I let him talk to me a little, but not much.
Advise him to keep very quiet--do most of the talking myself--stay quite awhile with him, as he holds on to my hand--talk to him in cheering, but slow, low and measured manner--talk about his furlough, and going home as soon as he is able to travel. He suffers horribly, has to be constantly dosed with morphine, his face ashy and glazed, bright young eyes. He asked me to read him a chapter in the new testament--how Christ rose again.
I read very slowly, for he was feeble. It pleased him very much, yet there were tears in his eyes.
He asked me if I enjoyed religion.
I said, "Perhaps not in the way you mean."
He said, "It is my chief reliance."
He talked of death and said he did not fear it.
I said, "Don't you think you will get well?"
He said, "I may, but it is not likely."
And he turned his face awa from me, and died.
As he called to me
Pleading with his eyes
Suddenly so wise
Trying not to cry
Now he's gone and I
Never knew his name
I've seen his kind before
Rising to his fall
God, he was so young
Like a song half sung
Interrupted by
Someone just as shy
Who never knew his name
The true cost of honor
Is suddenly too clear
In measures too full and dear
He always looks the same
Dressed in blue or gray
All the life he'll miss
Girls he'll never kiss
Things he'll never try
Unaware that I
Never knew his name
I never knew his name
Guess it's just as well
So I do my part
Hiding from my heart
Whispering goodbye
Thanking God that I
Never knew his name
I rise
Up from a past rooted in pain
I rise
A black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in hte tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak miraculously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestor gave,
I am the hope and the dream of the slave.
And so
I rise.
Just waitin' for the sweet old by and by
Singin' "Go down Moses" at the levee
Till we lay our burden down and die
But they say there's a new wind blowin'
Down by the mighty Mississippi dressed in blue
Shakin' loose these chains that bind me
Till this endless night is finally through
...So now
Meet me by the River Jordan
Knee-deep in a risin' tide
We will climb aboard that boat called freedom
And we'll all sail over to the other side
Sail on
Just sail, sail on
Sail on over to the other side
Sail, sail on
Just sail on
Just sail on over to the other side
Meet me by the River Jordan
Knee-deep in a risin' tide
We'll climb aboard that boat called freedom
And we'll all sail on over to the other side
We'll be singin' Halleluja
When this mis'ry sure 'nough be passed
We'll be sining' Halleluja
Halleluja, we are now free at last
Hold on... hold on
When you live in the east of Eden you've got to pray
That you'll find yourself in Paradise one day
Meet me by the River Jordan
Knee-deep in a risin' tide
We'll climb aboard that boat called freedom
And we'll all sail on over to the other side
Meet me by the River Jordan
Knee-deep in a risin' tide
We'll climb aboard that boat called freedom
And we'll sail right on over to the other side
We'll be singin' Halleluja
When this mis'ry sure 'nough shall be passed
We'll be singin' Halleluja
Halleluja, we are now free at last
Hold on... hold on
When you live in the east of Eden you've got to pray
That you'll find yourself in paradise one day
Meet me by the River Jordan
Knee-deep in a risin' tide
We'll climb aboard that boat called freedom
And we'll all sail right on over to the other side
If I had been allowed my way, this war would have ended before this.
If there is a worse place than hell, I am in it.
What shall I do?
The people are impatient.
Secretary Chase has no money and tells me he can raise no more.
The general of the army has typhoid fever.
The bottom is out of the tub.
Whichever way it ends, I have the impression that I shant last long--after it's over.
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
And watch the miles roll on by
Three... Four...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
Until you "stop one" and you die
One... Two...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down 'till
Massa Robert tells us to sleep
Three... Four...
When the hell did shoes get so damn dear
And life become so damn cheap?
One... Two...
Those damn yankees ain't as "give up easy"
As we thought they would be
Three... Four...
Those damn yankees ain't as near as scared
Or half as hungry as me
One... Two...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
Is all a body can do
Three... Four...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
Until this bloody war is through
How many miles, how many fears
How many days, how many years
How many rivers of blood, sweat and tears?
How many times into the fray
How many men won't walk away
How many hells filled with
How many devils to pay?
One... Two...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
And watch the miles roll on
Three... Four...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
Until your strength is nearly gone
One... Two...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
And dream of home safe and sound
Three... Four...
Pick 'em up and put 'em down again
Until we're six feet underground
How many miles dead on our feet
Drenched to the bone, baked in the heat
Paying for ground with another retreat
How many times into the fray
How many men won't walk away
How many hells filled with
How many devils to pay?
Bodies all lay in the tall summer grass
Swollen and butchered and still
Measuring miles by the dead that you pass
Measuring life by the men that you kill
How many days, how many more
How many men lost to this war
I can't remember what we're fighting for
How many times into the fray
How many men won't walk away
How many hells filled with
How many devils to pay?
Said "It'll keep you mighty warm
It'll see you through the winter
It's your 'by God' uniform!"
So I wear it everyday
And I sleep in it at night
Now it's twenty shades of gray
And the waist is shrunk too tight
And the bottom's caked and muddy
And the buttons are half gone
But just like you and me
This old gray coat wears on
And when I die in this gray coat
I'm gonna' march through Heaven's door
I'm gonna' walk up to St. Peter
And tell him "Send me back for more"
Cause I'll be damned if I'll just sit around
While you boys win the war
Cause even when I'm dead
Shot full of yankee lead
There'll be part of me keeps on hangin' by a thread...
Of this old gray coat
When I think of all the places
This old coat and me have been
Through the fat and lean and inbetween
Double quick through thick and thin
From the ballrooms down in Richmond
To the top of Marye's heights
From Manassas to the wilderness
And a hundred other fights
Now the collar's torn and tattered
And the elbow's worn clean through
But, buddy, in a pinch
This old gray coat will do
And when I die in this old gray coat
And when they come to bury me
If the commence to speechafyin'
And singin' "Nearer, Lord, to thee"
Well, be damn sure I ain't just sleepin'
Cause I flat out guarantee
That even when I'm dead
Shot full of yankee lead
That the toughest part lives on in every shred...
Of this old gray coat
You can cut my throat
You can sink my boat
But you can never stop this old gray coat
When my bones you tote
When that's all she wrote
I'll fight on inside this old gray coat
Cause when I die in this gray coat
I'm gonna' march through Heaven's door
I'm gonna' walk up to St. Peter
And tell him "Send me back for more"
Cause I'll be damned if I'll just sit around
While you boys win the war
Cause even when I'm dead
Shot full of yankee lead
There ain't nothin' that I'd rather wear instead...
Of this old gray coat
This old gray coat
I'll go down in this old gray coat
This old gray coat.
They are battle scarred and weary
And they're achin' for the one thing
That can heal the pain
For the feel of you at sundown
Runnin' fire through my veins
Look at these hands
They've been holdin' on and prayin'
And they're trembling for your quiet, easy touch
Look at these hands reaching out for the man I love too much
Come to me now
Whisper secrets soft and low
Lay here beside me
Darlin' don't let me go
With these hands I could hold you forever
With this heart I will always be true
Just like God in his Heaven
May you always be there
Every time that these hands reach for you
Look at these eyes
They have seen so many devils
They can hardly recognize the angel here
I only know when I look in your eyes
You calm all my fears
We've got tonight
Darlin' we can't ask for more
Just hold me tight
Leave the world outside the door
With these eyes I could see you forever
With this heart I will always be true
Like the stars in the heavens
My love will be there
Every time that thse eyes look at you
With these hands
With these eyes
With this heart
I'll be there...
I'll be there...
With these hands I could hold you forever
With this heart I will always be true
Just like God in his Heaven
May you always be there
Every time that these hands reach for you
Just like God in his Heaven
My love will be there
Every time that these hands reach for you
Every time that these hands reach for you
A spell of fine soft weather.
Tonight, on my way home, I took a long look at the president's house.
The white portico--palace like, tall, round columns.
The tender and soft moonlight flooding the pale marble, and making peculiar, faint languishing shades--not shadows.
Everywhere a soft transparent hazy, thin, blue moon-lace hanging in the air
Everything so white, so pure and dazzling--yet soft.
The White House of our future dreams and dramas--full of reality, full of illusion--the White House of our land, and of beauty and of the night--sentries at the gate--silent, pacing blue overcoats--not stopping me, but eyeing me with sharp eyes--whichever way I move.
Past the shuttered houses
Towards a solitary light
Burning in a window
Near a figure in a chair
Always sitting there
Quiet as a prayer
Does he close his eyes?
Weary with the weight of being
Suddenly so wise
Tired of the demons
He must sit up there and fight
Deep into the night
Praying that he's right?
Every evening I can see his shadow on the shade
And I don't feel so alone or so afraid
There's a candle in the window every night
Reflecting all our hopes and dreams
Or so it seems to me as I look up to see
That candle in the window every night
Burning like the yearning to be free
Far away and dim
Kept alive by him
Seven blocks away
Before I go to bed I fall down
On my knees and pray
That he will keep his candle burning
Just a moment more
Till he finds a way
This is what I pray
And I wonder does he see me passing by each night
As I look up to find his patch of light?
There's a candle in the window every night
Feflecting all our hopes and dreams
Or so it seems to me as I look up to see
That candle in the window shining bright
Burning like the yearning to be free
Far away and dim
Kept alive by him
Hurry through the night...
Towards a solitary light...
Mr. Autolycus fell at your "here at last" service, gentlemen, boys, you look to be a good, honest intelligent set of men, now these ladies here are fresh from Madam Russell's bake oven in the great Tennessee city of Memphis. They've had but few opportunities for lewd associations. So whichever of you is eager now for some horizontal refreshment, can be assured of a good time generally I can tell you. And of course your enjoyment will provide me with the very thing i's chasin on this road.
Money.
Gelt.
Gold.
Foldin' buyin' power.
Greenback.
Greenback... Get you anything you need
Greenback... Get you snow in July
Greenback... Get you chicken fricaseed
Greenback... Get you all you can buy
One man's "trouble" is another man's "meat"
When you got the goods it's the cat-bird seat
One man's "holy" is another man's "sin"
Lose or win...
Greenback gonna save your skin
Greenback... Make you who you wanna be
Greenback... Make you king 'o the hill
Greenback... What's a little bribery
Greenback... What's a hand in the till?
One man's "never" is another man's "now"
You just get the green you don't question how
One man's "foolish" is another man's "wise"
Compromise...
Greenback gonna be the prize
Slam-bam thank you ma'am
Flimflam telegram
Get it any way that you can
But cheap, sell it steep
Clean sweep, pocket-deep
Suckers are like gold in the pan
Deathbed overhead
Hot lead in the red
Make a millionaire minuteman
You can skin a cat if it's blue or gray
Hip-hooray...
Greenback comin' either way
Greenback... Makes the New York bangers go
Greenback... Turns the cotton to wheat
Greenback... Makes the Mississippi flow
Greenback... Puts the shoes on your feet
One man's "Yankee" is a hooker-girl's John
That she'll "doodle-do" till the money's gone
One man's "rebel" is a blackamoor's boss
Three across...
Hitch 'em up and call 'em "Hoss"
Greenback, in a stack
Blackjack, sneak attack
Get it any way that you can
Lie, cheat, sugar sweet
Elite, easy-street
Suckers are like gold in the pan
Carbines, battle lines
Breadlines, Georgia pines
Make a millionaire minuteman
If it's blue or gray or it's inbetween
Pick 'em clean...
'Till the only color's green
Greenback... Keep the bullets flyin' fast
Greenback... Keep the flags flyin' high
Greenback... Keep the future in the past
Greenback... Keep the gleam in my eye
One man's "treasure" is another man's "trash"
You can die for praise, while I count the cash
One man's "hero" is another man's "fool"
Golden rule...
Greenback gonna feed the mule
Greenback gonna save your skin
Greenback gonna be the prize
Blue or gray...
Greenback comin' either way
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman?
As I did when I was young
And I will tell you what was told to me
God did not forget us
He just speaks a different tongue
Where every word's another word for free
Listen to the quiet
As it wanders through the trees
Listen to the gentle evening fall
Hear the way it whispers
Through the willows on a breeze
Promisin' a Heaven for us all
Someday... Someday...
Mighty Pharaoh couldn't hear
What ol' Moses heard
Through the desert loud and clear
Freedom was the word
Stronger than an oak tree
When the hard winds blow
Tellin' Pharaoh let my people go
Moses waited patiently
Sorely was he tried
He knew what Pharaoh never knew
Faith won't be denied
So listen closely every day
I promise you will hear
All God's creatures
Sayin' loud and clear...
Someday...
We will all be free
Someday...
No more misery
We will all be justified
At that jubilee
Gonna raise our voices long and loud
Gonna hold our heads up strong and proud
Gonna celebrate our independence day
Someday...
So listen to the nightingale
Listen to his song
Hear the mighty river's tale
As she rolls along
Every time the sun comes up
Shoutin' down the day
You can almost hear the good Lord say:
Someday...
We will all be free
Someday...
From sea to shinin' sea
Father, Son and Holy Ghost
All of them agree
Gonna break these chains and walk the walk
Gonna free the sparrow from the hawk
Gonna feel the rain wash all these clouds away
Someday...
Through the deepest wilderness
Through the darkest night
You gotta keep on movin' towards the light
We'll all sit down at table
And bow our heads and pray
(And all of us will find)
You gotta dream the dream
(That God is colorblind)
You gotta keep the faith
(And finally mankind)
Is gonna be what it should be
Someday...
We will all be free
Someday...
No more misery
We will all be justified
At that jubilee
Gonna raise our voices long and loud
Gonna hold our heads up strong and proud
Gonna break these chains and walk the walk
Gonna free the sparrow from the hawk
Gonna celebrate our independence day
Someday...
At the tender age of nine
Like so many other sons of old Virginia
And though he was too small to hold a rifle
He would bang a drum and smile
As a regimental drummer for a while
With a heart as green as summer
And a laugh as rich as gold
He would polish up the old dreams so long forgotten
But somewhere on the road back home from Shiloh
He got older than his years
As the regimental drummer cried our tears
And in his eyes I'd sometimes see
The boy that I used to be
And for a moment I could leave this all behind
Then all at once the boy was gone
Lost on this road we're on
Just another fallen brother
I still think of him each morning
And I pray for him each night
Just a regimental drummer for old Virginia
And when I close my eyes I still remember
How he'd bang his drum and smile
So I march a little farther
When I hear the drummer's call
For the regimental drummer in us all
The innocence in me has died
Lost somewhere deep inside
Like another fallen brother
Down the dusty roads behind me
To the ones still up ahead
There's a regimental drummer from old Virginia
Who will always fall in step beside me
And bang his drum and smile
So I march a little farther
When I hear the long roll start
For the regimental drummer in my heart
'Bout a half a mile from here
But I never seemed to notice
That the water ran this clear
And I've never seen that color green
Sparkle down the glen
Now I'll never pass this way again
I have wandered through that orchard
And played among her trees
But I never heard the secrets
That she whispers on the breeze
For the only sound on hallowed ground
Is the silence of the men
Who will never pass this way again
It never shone as beautiful
As how it looks today
We never miss the things we love
'Til they go away
But I have heard the bugler's call
And it's time for me to leave
Cause there comes a day when a man must say
I will die for what I believe
I have often thrown my pennies
In that old wishing well
And if I had a penny
I would wish me a spell
I would kneel and pray that here I'd stay
Forever Amen
But I'll never pass this way
No I'll never pass this way
No I'll never pass this way again
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of Freedom.
Laughing when the spirit moves them
Happy to be home at last
Five boys, ever will I see them playing
Ever will I bless their mem'ry
Ever will I hold them fast
I hear them...
Whenever the wind's in the meadow
I'm near them...
At night when the north star breaks through
In blue they were my heroes
Heroes all in blue
Five boys playing in a field with angels
Days of heaven, safe forever
Never to be lost again
Five boys ever will they have each other
Brother ever there for brother
The better angels of all men
In His grace...
I know that their souls will find shelter
Far away
From all that madness out there
My heart and I will share
A mother's one last prayer
Five boys playing in a field with angels
Running with the wind forever
Waiting in a field for me
The dead and dying everywhere
And every day, for me, is judgment day
Every day, for me, is judgment day...
I sit among my charts and maps
And hear the lonely call of taps
Like the wind across the moon
I pray to God that I am right
And then I send boys off to fight
And travel home in boxes far too soon
May God have mercy on my soul
For all the years that I have stolen
From the men who follow what I say
And may their families all forgive
The orders I so calmly give them
As I march their sons into harm's way
And out there on the killing floor
I hear the bloody sounds of war
And watch a thousand more souls slip away
And sometimes it's too much to bear
The dead and dying everywhere
And every day, for me, is judgment day
Every day, for me, is judgment day
I write to mother's of their sons
And say "They were the bravest ones"
And then I pour a drink and sleep
But sleep is only filled with drums
A slice of death till morning comes
The heart of darkness where my soul can weep
Come walk a mile in bloody shoes
And lose the men that I am losing
Watch them pay the piper for my tune
Come walk among their ghosts with me
And look through eyes too used to seeing
Faces who have joined the lost platoon
Come judgment day God only knows
If man will reap the pain he sows
And what will be the price he has to pay
But down here on the killing floor
Among the crimson rags of war
For me, each day I live is judgment day
Every day, for me, is judgment day
May God have mercy on my soul
For all the years that I have stolen
From the men who follow what I say
And may their families all forgive
The orders I so calmly give them
As I march their sons into harm's way
And out there on the killing floor
I hear the bloody sounds of war
And watch a thousand more souls slip away
And sometimes it's too much to bear
The dead and dying everywhere
And every day, for me, is judgment day
Every day, for me, is judgment day
Every day, for me, is judgment day
I fear I must go
And leave you to move on alone
A hard wind is rising and fixin' to blow
And scatter the days we have known
But come what may I'll always be with you
Watching from above
Oh, Sarah, my Sarah, my love
I see you my Sarah when I close my eyes
It's summer and we're at the fair
Your laughter so haunting, so full of surprise
Drifts back like some ghost through the air
So when you feel a cool breeze passing by
Know that I am there
As real as the words of my prayer
But always know you can find me deep inside
Oh, Sarah, my Sarah I'll whisper your name
My thoughts all will run home to you
My heart is the candle and your heart the flame
That burns with a fire so true
And know that we will surely meet again
Until then I swear
I love you, my Sarah
Forever and always
And always my heart will be there
Dressed in black with news of war
A face I've never seen before
But, Bill, I never will forget him
I knew at once that you were gone
He tipped his hat and then moved on
And left my world a cold and empty space
Such a lonely place
But for the promise
That we made so long ago
For the nights
When you held me in your arms
I will keep life's fragile flame
For the honor of your name
I don't know what to do right now
Except to struggle on somehow
I've learned to sow, I'll learn to plough
And, Bill, I never will forget you
The kids and I might move out west
I'll take our dream and leave the rest
There's nothin' for my broken heart to do
'Cept write these words to you
For the promise
That we made so long ago
For the love
All the love that will not die
I will keep life's fragile flame
For the honor of your name
And maybe someday when I'm stronger
I will look back on this day
And understand all the reasons why
The good Lord took you away
But for the promise
That we made so long ago
For the man
That I see in our son's eyes
I will keep life's fragile flame
For the honor of your name
I thought I better write before I'm on my way
We're movin' out...
Just where I can't say
The Indiana snow fell mighty deep I hear
So winter wheat should fetch a handsome price this year
We'll be all right
When I get out of here
One more month livin' by the sword
One last valley to march through
Thirty days till I climb aboard
A northbound train... back home to you
I met a southern boy down here in Tennessee
He must been about the same age as me
We were both as scared
As two men could be
We talked across the lines till break of day
And while we talked there just wasn't any blue or gray
Just some things
Two farm boys will say
His voice drawled sweet as a mockingbird
'Bout draught and rain and weather
And once that night we both swore we heard
The whistle call... of a northbound train
I asked him what he was fightin' for
He said "Cause, Yankee, you're down here"
I said "That's somethin' I can understand
But I'm the son of an Indiana volunteer
Just tryin' to march through all this fear
Long enough to catch that northbound train"
And Abbie, when I fin'ly get back home to you
Don't ask me nothin' 'bout the things I've had to do
It'd chill your soul
Break your heart in two
I ain't the same, Lord knows, I've seen some fearful things
And I have heard the breathless beat of angel's wings
When the bullets fly...
And the sabre swings
One more month livin' by the sword
One last valley to march through
Thirty days till I climb aboard
A northbound train... back home to you
As I look upon the faces of my brothers
I remember all the others who are gone
Safe is his grace
Watching over this place
With the dawn...
Into his hands we shall surrender to his glory
And when they tell the story let them say
Of the sons of the gray
Not one turned away
It's the last waltz for Dixie
It's the last song she'll sing
So play it with pride
For all those who died
And the spirit inside you
That's the dixie in me
I believe...
There has never been a group of men so splendid
Or a cause so well-defended as our own
Be it Heaven or Hell
Hail and farewell
It's the last waltz for Dixie
It's the last song she'll sing
So play it with pride
For all those who died
And the spirit inside you
That's the dixie in me
For all we hold dear
The road ahead is clear
For all the things we honor
The moment is here
It's the last waltz for Dixie
It's the last song she'll sing
So play it with pride
For all those who died
And the spirit inside you
That's the dixie in me
The bugle calls us to the line
From the mists of long ago
See how the battle sabres shine
And the shadows the flags all throw
For the glory...
For a land forever free
For the last best hope of mankind
For the better part of me
For the glory...
For the words we hold so dear
Let us give the last full measure
Gathered here
For the glory
South:
The time to stand has come at last
Let the drums start the long, long roll
The bridge is burned, the die is cast
To His grace I commend my soul
For the glory...
For the Dixie that I know
For the way of life we cherish
Let us die or let us go
For the glory...
For the home we hold so dear
Let us give the last full measure
Gathered here
For the glory
Angel:
Sleep in my arms now
All your pain is passed
Sleep for you have travelled far
Now you are home at last
Go as you came here
Time to say goodbye
Rise, soft as a melody
Safe in a lullabye
The fields are green
The rivers all run clear
And oh, so far from here
Rest for a while now
All your work is done
Rest here in my waiting arms
Now that your race is run
All:
For the glory...
For the men who've gone before
For the men who will come after
We will wage this bloody war
For the glory...
For the truth we hold so dear
Let us give the last full measure
Gathered here
For the glory
