Once there was a miner 

who held down his job 

'til one day he died from 

the fate of his God 

Now his wife she did mourn him 

'til the collectors came around 

and stole all his possessions 

before they buried him down 



Now his wife and his children 

pay the rent with their tears 

They live alone with one another 

wake late at night with their fears 

Cause the money ain't nothing 

to the rich man in town 

but for the sake of a dollar 

they let the whole family drown 

The old man had wrote out 

all the things he had saved 

He said he'd saved them a gold mine 

but it was all in his head 

And one solemn child 

who had been born that year 

he was brought up with the memories 

of the feelings and the fears 



Now his wife and his children. 



The bartender's arms shook 

as he poured one more round 

He said he'd heard many stories 

and was I long in the town 

Well I paid up my dollar 

and I laughed as I did 

I said I'm one of the family 

though I've long kept it hid 



Now I'm older an tired now 

and I've travelled around 

I slept in many dark cities 

I've been jailed in small towns 

and my father would tell you 

if he'd lived to this day 

that if life be a gamble 

let blood be the stakes