Elijah's Church Lyrics

(Steve Earle)
Elijah came to Texas
To build his family a home
With his wife and new baby
And what little goods that they owned
Had a good yoke of oxen
And hand tools for clearing the land
And he built him a church
'Cause he was a God fearin' man

All of his children when there
Worshiped here through the years
On down to my granddad
He's buried 'bout 40 yards from here
It's where I was baptized
And where I took me a wife
And if I have my say so
That's where I'll rest when it's time
[Chorus:]
When I'm dead and I'm gone
Won't you carry me home
To that little white church
In my daddy's home town

'Cause Lord knows I'm some kind of sinner
But I've done come this far
And it's too late for changin'
When this race has been run
Take me back where I came from
And let me return what I took from the ground
When this body won't carry me no further
Take me back
And lay me down
This east Texas red dirt
Won't grow much of nothin' they say
'Cept tomatoes and peaches
They mostly drill for oil nowadays
And a hired hand named Regan
First made me understand
And he told me the red was the blood of my kin in the land

[Chorus]