Oh Brother Green, please come to me
For I am shot and bleeding
Dear brother, stay, and put me away
And write my love a letter
Tell her I know she's prayed for me
And now her prayers are answered
That I might be prepared to die
If I should fall in battle
The Northern foe has laid me low
On this cold ground to suffer
And now to heaven I will fly
To see my dear old mother
Go tell my love she must not grieve
Go kiss my little sisters
For they will call their brother in vain
When he is up in heaven
I have one brother in this wide world
He's fighting for the Union
But oh, dear love, I've lost my life
And I shall die a Southern
My darlin' girl, I love her well
Oh could I once more see her
That I might give a sweet farewell
And meet again in heaven
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One of the sources for my adaptation of this American Civil War song comes from the singing of Mrs. Emma Dusenberry, of Mena, Arkansas, as printed in Ozark Folksongs, edited by Vance Randolph. Versions also exist in Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri. The melody is derived from "Barbry Ellen," an American variant of the well-known Scottish ballad, "Barbara Allen."
For I am shot and bleeding
Dear brother, stay, and put me away
And write my love a letter
Tell her I know she's prayed for me
And now her prayers are answered
That I might be prepared to die
If I should fall in battle
The Northern foe has laid me low
On this cold ground to suffer
And now to heaven I will fly
To see my dear old mother
Go tell my love she must not grieve
Go kiss my little sisters
For they will call their brother in vain
When he is up in heaven
I have one brother in this wide world
He's fighting for the Union
But oh, dear love, I've lost my life
And I shall die a Southern
My darlin' girl, I love her well
Oh could I once more see her
That I might give a sweet farewell
And meet again in heaven
--------------------------------------------------------
One of the sources for my adaptation of this American Civil War song comes from the singing of Mrs. Emma Dusenberry, of Mena, Arkansas, as printed in Ozark Folksongs, edited by Vance Randolph. Versions also exist in Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri. The melody is derived from "Barbry Ellen," an American variant of the well-known Scottish ballad, "Barbara Allen."