I live in the cemetery, ol' caretaker they call me
In the wintertime I rake the leaves, and in the summer I cut the weeds
When a funeral comes the people cry and pray
They bury their dead, then they all go away
And here I work and I somehow hide from a world that rushes by outside
But each night when I rest my head I'm contented as the peaceful death

But who's gonna cry when old John dies, who's gonna cry when old John dies

Once I was a young man, dashing with the girls
Now no one wants an old man, I lost my handsome curls
But I wanna say when my time comes, lay me facing the rising sun
Put me in a corner where where I buried my pup
Tell the preacher to pray then cover me up
Don't plant flowers where my head should be, maybe God would let some grow for me
And all the little children that I love like my own, will they be sorry that old John's gone

Who's gonna cry when old John dies, who's gonna cry when old John dies