Tuning: E A D G B E

SPOKEN: This last song is a song that I wrote which is a song against capitol punishment. And I would like very much for that to be stated somewhere along the way, that this is a song against capitol punishment. I wrote this song for my fahter who is doin' life in Ohio State Penitenciary; he's been there for 23 years. INTRO: G C-G G D-G

^GThere is a story the ^Ccoal miners ^Gtell In Hazzard Kentucky about a woman called ^DNell She came there from somewhere just ^Cher and a ^Gchild And bought her a farm in the ^Dvall^Gey

Now ^Grumor says she had a ^Cwhole lot of ^Gmoney That boy never would work a day in his ^Dlife And ^Gall of the miners, those ^Cold forty-^Gniners Tried harder than ever to ^Dmake Nell their ^Gwife

But ^CNell was a ^Dlady cont^Cent with the ^Gbaby She'd had a good man who was lost in the ^Dmine At ^Gnight she would listen for ^Csounds of his ^Ghammer And look in the coal miners' ^Dfaces for ^Gsigns

For ^Gyears people talked of the ^Cpretty young w^Goman The boy, long neglected, had turned to a ^Dman Who ^Gwalked thru the tunnels in ^Csearch of his d^Gaddy And carried a cold lump of ^Dcoal in his ^Ghand

She ^Ccalled the boy ^DDavid, a ^Cname from the ^GGood Book For she believed prayin' was good for the ^Dsoul She'd ^Gfound him abandoned when ^Che was a ^Gbaby Clutched tight in his hand was a ^Dcold lump of ^Gcoal

Now the ^Ctruth of the m^Gatter, she t^Cried to keep ^Gsecret But small towns know more than a body should ^Dtell And ^Git wasn't long 'til the s^Ctory was p^Groven For someone had murded the ^Dlady called N^Gell

The i^Gnvestigation meant q^Cuestioning D^Gavid They hounded that boy 'til he lost self c^Dontrol It ^Cseems on the ^Gfloor under^Cneath that old l^Gady Just touching her head was a ^Dcold lump of ^Gcoal

Now ^Gwitnesses swore 'twas the ^Cwork of the ^Gdevil 'Cause Jesus could never have been that un^Dkind The ^Cjury said g^Guilty, the j^Cudge had no ^Gmercy The boy was convicted of s^Derious c^Grime

And it ^Cwasn't long ^Dafter the ^Cboy's exec^Gution A man name of Billy confessed to the ^Dkill His cons^Gcience was burdened with i^Cnnocent ^Gbodies For he swore he'd only been ^Ddoing God's ^Gwill

He t^Cold in a ^Dvision the ^CLord had come ^Gto him And whispered go down and take that woman's ^Dlife For ^Gshe is a sinner not ^Cfit to be l^Givin' Go down there and kill her but d^Don't use your ^Gknife

Now ^Cwait 'til the ^Dboy leaves to ^Clook for his ^Gdaddy He'll be forgotten down there in that ^Dhole B^Gilly confessed how he s^Cnuck up beh^Gind her And beat her to death with a ^Dcold lump of ^Gcoal

Now ^Gall of you people that's ^Cpreaching the g^Gospel Remember repentence must come from the ^Dsoul The ^GLord knows the answer I'm ^Cnot free to ^Ggive it N/C (D) (C) (G) For I'm just the voice of a cold lump of coal

David Allan Coe - A cold lump of coal