Old Joe he wasn't a hero
Nothin' but a coal company man
He'd sit alone and look through his window
Watch his corn wither into the sand
He'd go to church on Sunday morning
Drink a beer every Saturday night
His momma raised him on corn and molasses
And a sense of the unending fight
The well is deep and the seeds are all planted
The price is steep but the bounty is high
To live a love or have it taken for granted
The rope is stretchin' but the knot is still tied
The son of slaves still feels
The bitter lashings of the whip and the tongue
A loose mouth and the white hooded lynch mob
Sent Joe from the light of the sun
The baby cries, the Georgia pines whisper
I write to you by the light of the moon
A Southern grave still stands waiting
The congregation sings a victory tune
Nothin' but a coal company man
He'd sit alone and look through his window
Watch his corn wither into the sand
He'd go to church on Sunday morning
Drink a beer every Saturday night
His momma raised him on corn and molasses
And a sense of the unending fight
The well is deep and the seeds are all planted
The price is steep but the bounty is high
To live a love or have it taken for granted
The rope is stretchin' but the knot is still tied
The son of slaves still feels
The bitter lashings of the whip and the tongue
A loose mouth and the white hooded lynch mob
Sent Joe from the light of the sun
The baby cries, the Georgia pines whisper
I write to you by the light of the moon
A Southern grave still stands waiting
The congregation sings a victory tune