LEAVE THE BODIES WHERE THEY LAY SAVE YOUR STRENGTH FOR THE LIVING WE’LL BE BACK ALONG THIS ROAD SOMEDAY IF THE LAND IS WILLING WE NEED TO KEEP ON MOVING FOR THERE’S WATER TO FIND MANY LIVES ARE RELYING ON US MORE THAN THESE FEW WE LEAVE BEHIND HIT THE ROAD AND DON’T LOOK BEHIND THE DEAD WON’T SEE YOU GO STEEL YOURSELVES, MEN AND WOMEN FOR OUR JOURNEY IS UNKNOWN FORGET YOUR HOME AND EVERYTHING YOU ONCE LOVED FINDING WATER IS OUR ONLY GOAL PRAY TO ANY GOD YOU THINK IS ABOVE ASK THEM NOT TO CALL YOU HOME WE ARE NOT SAVAGES WE’RE JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE...

THAT MAN CAME TO MY HOUSE, WHEN I WASN’T THERE JUST MY WIFE AND MY BABY SON WITH A KNIFE FROM OUR KITCHEN, HE CUT THEM DOWN SPILLED THEIR BLOOD THEY SAY MY WIFE, SHE FOUGHT VALIANTLY BUT SHE LOST TO THAT MAN AS FOR MY BABY SON, NOBODY KNOWS, HE WAS NOT FOUND THAT MAN WAS QUICKLY CAUGHT, HE DIDN’T TRY TO HIDE WHAT HE HAD DONE, WHAT HE HAD DONE WHEN THEY BROUGHT HIM IN, HE HAD THE KNIFE AND THEIR BLOOD ON HIS SKIN WHEN THEY ASKED WHY HE HAD DONE WHAT HE HAD DONE HE JUST LAUGHED AND SAID BECAUSE HE COULD WHEN THEY ASKED ABOUT MY BABY SON HE JUST SMILED AND HELD HIS TONGUE JUST TEN YEARS HAVE PASSED AND THEY HAVE SAID THAT THAT MAN HE CAN GO FREE FIVE YEARS A PIECE THAT DON’T SEEM LONG ENOUGH TO ME EVERY NIGHT I SPEAK TO MY WIFE AND SON AND I ASK, ‘WHAT SHOULD I DO?’ WELL TONIGHT THEY REPLIED TO ME AND THEY SAID, ‘YOU ALWAY KNEW…’ I’M WAITING FOR THAT MAN ON THE ROAD INTO TOWN INTO TOWN I’M NOT SURE WHAT I’LL DO BUT I KNOW THAT THAT MAN CAN’T MAKE IT HOME WHEN HE SAW ME THERE HE JUST SMILED AT ME WITH CROOKED TEETH, WITH CROOKED TEETH WELL THE SKY ABOVE TURNED A DEEP BLOOD RED AND I KNEW WHAT I WOULD DO I CRACKED HIS SKULL WITH A ROCK I BROKE HIS BODY WITH EVERYTHING I’VE GOT I BEAT THAT MAN TILL I COLLAPSED I LAY IN THE DIRT, STARING AT THE SUN I SAID TO THAT MAN, THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE TELL ME THE TRUTH AND I’LL MAKE IT QUICK WHEN HE GOT DONE, TALKING TO ME I GOT MY KNIFE AND I TOOK MY TIME

THE WATER IN THIS PLACE TASTES LIKE BLOOD THE SICKLY LIQUID STICKS TO OUR TONGUES WE GIVE IT TO OUR CHILDREN AND DRINK IT OURSELVES BECAUSE IT’S ALL WE HAVE SOME FOLKS DID WARN US THIS IS NO PLACE TO BUILD A HOME BUT WE HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO SO WE SETTLED IN THIS VALLEY BENEATH THESE BLACK MOUNTAINS TO BUILD A HOME AND AS WE BUILT OUR HOME THESE CLOUDS ROLLED IN THEY HAVE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE NOW THEY AIN’T BAD CHILDREN THAT’S WHAT I BELIEVE BUT THEN THOSE BOYS DID NOT COME HOME THE TOWN HAS BEEN SEARCHING AND RUMOURS ABOUND THEY WERE LAST SEEN WITH MY GIRLS I ASK MY DAUGHTERS WHAT THEY KNOW BUT THEY JUST STARED AT THE GROUND I DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE IT BUT THEN I FOUND THOSE BURIED CLOTHES BLOOD STAINED RED BUT THE NAMES STILL WRITTEN IN BOLD TOM AND JOHN BOYD THE LABELS SAID THOSE BOYS THAT WENT MISSING THAT DAY BURIED BENEATH MY HOUSE RIGHT WHERE MY DAUGHTERS WOULD PLAY WELL JUST THE NEXT DAY THEIR BODIES WHERE FOUND IN THE WOODS BEHIND MY HOUSE THEY HAD SUFFERED A VIOLENT DEATH THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY THE TOWN CRIED FOR ANSWERS FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME THEY CAME FOR MY GIRLS WHAT COULD I DO? THEY ARE MY BLOOD SO HERE I SIT, A MAN CONDEMNED TO PAY FOR THOSE BOYS. THE TOWN BELIEVES THEY GOT THEIR MAN, AND MY GIRLS ARE SAFE. MY FAMILY HAVE LONG SINCE GONE, MY LETTERS GO UNREAD, BUT MY GIRLS ARE SAFE. AND SO IT ENDS WITH MY LIFE, CALL IT A WILLING SACRIFICE. AND ON THE LAST DAY THEY TAKE ME TO THE DEAD MAN’S CELL. AND AS THEY PREPARE ME A JAILER COMES RUSHING IN, HE SAID, ‘TOM AND JOHN BOYD ARE NOT ALONE, TWO MORE BOYS HAVE NOT COME HOME…’

IT’S BEEN RAINING DOWN IN THIS VALLEY FOR FAR TOO LONG THE WATER IS RISING AND SOON THIS WILL ALL BE GONE MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO SWIM, WHEN I WAS STILL YOUNG I DON’T THINK THAT THAT’LL HELP ME, BUT I AIN’T GONNA RUN BEEN BURNING MY BELONGINGS, JUST TO KEEP WARM BUT THIS GODDAMN RAIN, DOING ME WRONG THE WATER IS RISING, MY STUFF IS ALL BUT GONE WHAT DID I DO WRONG THIS HAS BEEN MY FAMILY HOME NOW, FOR MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS I RAISED MY CHILDREN IN THIS PLACE, IT’S FILLED WITH LAUGHTER AND TEARS MY FAMILY HAVE LONG SINCE GONE, I AM THE LAST OF MY NAME EVERYTHING THAT I ONCE LOVED, HAS BEEN LOST TO THE FLAMES BUT NO MAN COULD MAKE ME LEAVE THIS PLACE, I DARE GOD TO TRY SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOTTA STAND, WHERE YOU’RE WILLING TO DIE THE FIRE HAS BURNED OUT, DOUSED BY THE RAIN I AM SOAKED TO THE BONE, BUT I FEEL NO PAIN SO LEAVE THE WATER COME DOWN, LET IT DO IT’S WORST I WAS BORN OF THIS LAND, I WILL RETURN TO IT’S DIRT

I BEEN IN THIS WORLD FOR SOME 40 YEARS I LIKE TO THINK IN THAT TIME I'VE LEARNED A THING OR TWO WELL HERE'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS I'M SURE I KNOW THERE IS NOTHING ABOVE US AND NOT A THING BELOW I REALLY HOPE THAT DON'T MAKE YOU DESPAIR GET UP OFF OF YOUR KNEES BOY THERE'S NOTHING FOR YOU DOWN THERE GET UP OFF OF YOUR KNEES GIRL AND LIVE YOUR LIFE DO YOU KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO BE ALIVE MILLIONS COULD'VE BEEN BORN IN YOUR PLACE YET HERE YOU ARE IN THIS IMPERFECT PLACE THERE IS NO SALVATION AND NO SAVING GRACE ALL WE'VE GOT IT THIS DIRT IN THIS IMPERFECT PLACE GET UP OFF OF YOUR KNEES NOW GET UP OFF OF YOUR KNEES GET UP OFF OF YOUR KNEES NOW THERE'S NOTHING FOR YOU DOWN THERE