Tom Russell - The man from god knows where

^AmCome gather round me children, a ^Gstory I will ^Amtell ^AmI've been around since Jesus met the ^Gwoman at the ^Amwell ^CI've walked these roads ten ^Amthousand years, ^CI'm a ragtime ^Ammillionaire ^AmI'm the rake and the ramblin saint. I am ^Gthe man from God knows ^Amwhere

^AmOh, they hung me in Downpatrick, up ^Gnear St.Patrick's ^Amtomb ^AmBut my ghost rose up in the peat fire smoke ^Gtoward the rising of the ^Ammoon ^CNow as I drift through your ^Amvillages, all the ^Cmaidens stop and ^Amstare ^Am"There goes old Tom, the vagabond, he's the ^Gman from God knows ^Amwhere"

^CSo it's rise up all you ^Amancestors, ^Cand dance upon your ^Ggraves ^CI've come to hear your ^Amvoices, now, ^Cso maybe I'll be ^Amsaved ^AmCursed are we who forget the past, but ^Gpray and don't ^Amdespair ^AmMy song might haunt your dreams tonight, I'm the ^Gman from God knows ^Amwhere

^AmI've slept beneath your bridges, near your ^Goil ^Amrefineries ^AmI've gambled on your river boats, ^GShenandoah; ^AmKanakee ^CI'm the homeless lad, I'm an ^Amorphan child, ^Cleaves of grass sewn through my ^Amhair ^AmYeah, me and old Walt Whitman, we're the ^Gmen from God knows ^Amwhere

^AmI've rode the rods on steam trains with a ^Gbanjo on my ^Amknee ^AmWhile the voice of Stephen Foster, ^Gwhisperd songs to ^Amme ^COf the storefront church and the ^Amchain gang choir; ^CBlack sorrow filled the ^Amair ^AmThen Stephen died on a doss house floor, like a ^Gman from God knows ^Amwhere

^AmI've heard the sound of Indian drums I've ^Gheard the bugles ^Amblow ^AmBefore they re'wrote history, ^Ginto a Wild West ^AmShow ^CMy kin sailed toward ^AmAmerica, ^Cto steal their Indian ^Amground ^AmThey passed Bill Cody's ^Gcircus ships, European ^Ambound

^AmSo lock up all your daughters, your ^Gwhiskey and your ^Amgold ^AmI have come to claim my bounty, for ^Gthe lies that I've been ^Amtold And ^Cas I look out on this ^Amcrowd tonight, I ^Csee most of you don't ^Amcare ^AmCome lift your glass, reveal your past, to the ^Gman from God knows ^Amwhere