Gun Hill

I worked the coal mines down in Gun Hill Tennessee I'll never forget the sound of the earth as it caved in on me There were about six of us trapped in an abandoned railway shaft One mile deep in a mountain hell-hole, goddamn I had to laugh I don't know why…
"The dead men are the lucky ones," I heard one man exclaim When the air runs out we'll join them quick or slow it's all the same I can't begin to tell you how it feels Oh won't you tell my wife and children this sad story Daddy's gone up the sky now C'mon honey don't you cry now, please
The first few hours we sat so quietly and still Listening for any signs of life up above in Gun Hill We didn't hear anything Then a man named Will brought our his mouth harp and he played He said the Lord could hear his songs and surely we'd be saved I don't know why…Willie never prayed before
We took turns telling stories as our hopes began to dim The darkness ever deepened and the air grew deadly thin I cannot explain all that I have seen- is this a dream Unconscious to the world for hours Woke up to the smell of flowers Gun Hill never smelled so goddamn sweet…