Slaid Cleaves - Twistin

Years ago on an April ^Fday A ^Gcrowd gathered from miles a^Cround Over a thousand, I heard one ^Fsay ^GAll around me on the square in ^Ctown

Ladies dressed up in their ^Fbest ^GKids ran around and ^Cplayed They all come to see me, I ^Fguess ^GMe and the sheriff and a man in ^Cchains

The ^FReverend Sam began a ^Cprayer To the ^Fwomen, the men, the boys and ^Cgirls "We are ^Fgraveyard sons and ^Cdaughters Passing through an unfriendly ^Gworld"

A ^Cfew last words and down he ^Fgoes ^GTeeth bared in an awful ^Cgrin A cheer rises up from the ^Fcrowd As I ^Ghold him, twistin' in the ^Cwind

Men held up their babies to ^Fsee Re^Gporters jotted down a ^Ctale Hawkers brought out lemon^Fade And the ^Gladies headed for the hanging day ^Csale

From time to time these folks would ^Fcome And ^Gall but one would walk a^Cway I'd shudder as the rope snapped ^Ftight But ^GI got used to hanging ^Cday

Now they don't gather 'round no ^Fmore ^GThough I'm tall and stouter ^Cstill Now they do it all behind closed ^Fdoors They ^Gsay it's a better way to ^Ckill

The ^FReverend Sam began a ^Cprayer To the ^Fwomen, the men, the boys and ^Cgirls "We are ^Fgraveyard sons and ^Cdaughters Passing through an unfriendly ^Gworld"

A ^Cfew last words and down he ^Fgoes ^GTeeth bared in an awful ^Cgrin A cheer rises up from the ^Fcrowd As I ^Ghold him, twistin' in the ^Cwind One more poor boy dead and ^Fgone ^G Twistin' in the ^Cwind