Lyrics Wasn't That a Mighty Storm - Nanci Griffith

Wasn't That a Mighty Storm

Wasn’t that a mighty storm
Wasn’t that a mighty storm in the morning
Say, wasn’t that a mighty storm
Blew all the people away
Well, Galveston had a sea wall
Meant to keep the water down
High tide from the ocean
Sent water over Galveston
Yeah, year was 1900
Fifty long years ago
Death came walking on the water that day
Death calls, you gotta go
Now the trumpets, they sounded warning
Said it’s time to leave this place
But no one thought about leaving town
Til death stared them in the face
Right then the sea started boiling
A thing that no ship could stand
I thought I heard a captain crying out
Somebody save a drowning man
They had two trains loaded
With people trying to leave town
Tracks gave way to the water now
And all of those people drowned
I said the year was 1900
Fifty long years ago
Death came walking on the water
Death calls, you gotta go
I said Death, your hands are clammy
You got them on my knee
You came and threw a stone at my mother
And now you’re coming after me