At first just a shadow in the distance Creeping up the holler with a gun A moonlit silhouette but for an instant Waiting for the rising of the sun He saw her kneeling down in the meadow Dandelions done up in her hair Misty fog crowned her like a halo Went and caught her fully unaware Went and caught her fully unaware, Lord Went and caught her fully unaware He planned their life right out then and there, Lord Went and caught her so unaware Made themselves a home up in the holler Built strong with stone, wood and mud Joyful times surely were to follow Sealed their love on parchment with their blood Lo he was a man who earned his dollars By the sk** with which he used a gun So he had to pack up from the holler Told his love she was the only one Told his love she was the only one, Lord He told his love she was the only one But he weakened from the flesh in his travels And so their love began to come undone When he came home from his journey She looked at him, knew he'd been untrue He lied and said he only could be faithful So she did what she had to do She packed up what she had and left the holler; He was sleeping and never saw ehr go Goodbye is what you say to a loved one He wasn't one of those anymore Not a loved one anymore, Lord He wasn't loved anymore Sitting hunched over on the floor, Lord His love had gone away forevermore Hard to realize the fruits of your labor Hard to visualize what tomorrow sees Hard to relinquish that which you savor Hard to understand the pain is real Hard to retort with no explanation Hard to realize there was no excuse Hard to understand there'll be no salvation Hard to validate such abuse Hard to realize he could have just let be Hard to realize that man was me