[Verse 1] Meet me by the riverside Later on the day Gonna watch the hanging of an honest man Say he ain’t the guilty one But someone has to pay They will not be pleased before they see him hanged [Chorus 1] As he cries out Turn and face the crowd as he cries out No one makes a sound as he cries out Oh, he hits the ground, he cries out It’s your spirit now Find me in the river Swing me from the tree So won’t you free the slave in me? [Post-Chorus] Oh, oh [Verse 2] Leave me when the time is near Leave me be, please This is not the way you should remember me Have you nothing else to say? Final words, [the truth?] Forgive them father for they know not what they do [Chorus 2] As he cries out As he can’t be found as he cries out No one makes a sound as he cries out Oh, he hits the ground, he cries out As you’re swinging down Throw me in the ocean Pass me in the sea So won’t you free the slave in me? [Bridge] Don’t you know, oh, don’t you know? Whoa, they comin’ home for you You can run, run on now Oh, they comin’ home for you Until you bleed, oh Until you bleed, oh Darkness is coming Darkness You should take shelter You should take shelter Darkness is coming Darkness and hell [Outro] Is your conscience clear? Have you seen the brave man hanging from the tree? Say, who’ll be the first to see?