Lyrics He's Coming To Us Dead - Norman Blake, Nancy Blake

He's Coming To Us Dead

One morning when the office had opened
A man quite old in years
Stood beside the express office
Showing signs of grief and tears
When the clerk approached him
His trembling words did say
'I'm waiting for my boy, sir
He’s coming home today'
'Well you have made a sad mistake
And you must surely know
That this is the telegraph office, sir
And not a town depot'
'If your boy is coming home'
The clerk with a smile smile did say
'You'll find him with the passengers, sir
At the station just all th way'
'You do not understand me, sir'
The old man shook his had
'He's not a-coming as a passenger
But by express instead'
'He's coming home to mother'
The old man gently said
'He's coming home in a casket, sir
He’s coming to us dead'
Just then a whistle pierced their ears
The express came on time
The old man rose in a breathless haste
And quickly rushed outside
And then a long white casket
Was lowered to the ground
Showing signs of grief and tears
To those who gathered around
'Do not use him roughly, boys
It contains our darling Jack
He went away as you boys are
See how he’s coming back?'
'He broke his poor old mother’s heart
Her sayings all came true
She said, this is the way that he’d come back
When he joined the boys in blue'