Fall of hope and optimism
Filled with a vision of a bright future
The poor mountain boy
Dressed in the best he had
He had worked hard all year
Bought a ticket to Philadelphia
Make big money in that Northern town
More than he ever had
.
Drinking with some local thugs
They robbed and beat him dead
Piled cross ties over his body
And burned him bad
.
They shipped his body home
Ragged and burned and poor as when he left
Grandfather Jay built his casket
A neighbor sang a song
No preacher braved the weather
On that cold, wet, gray, and mournful day
We put his body in the ground
And cried as we walked the muddy way.
.
.
This page had a note at the top, “The Stout Graveyard” .