Don McLean
Lyric guide

The Grave

Read The Grave lyrics by Don McLean on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Don McLean visibility2 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Don McLean Canonical path: /don-mclean/the-grave Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

The Grave

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

The grave that they dug him had flowers

Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors

And the brown earth bleached white

At the edge of his gravestone

He's gone

When the wars of our nation did beckon

The man, barely twenty, did answer the calling

Proud of the trust

That he placed in our nation

He's gone

But eternity knows him

And it knows what we've done

And the rain fell like pearls

On the leaves of the flowers

Leaving brown, muddy clay

Where the earth had been dry

And deep in the trench

He waited for hours

As he held to his rifle

And prayed not to die

But the silence of night

Was shattered by fire

As the guns and grenades

Blasted sharp through the air

One after another

His comrades were slaughtered

In the morgue of marines

Alone, standing there

He crouched ever lower

Ever lower, with fear

?They can't let me die

They can't let me die here!

I'll cover myself

With the mud and the earth

I'll cover myself

I know I'm not brave!

The earth, the earth

The earth is my grave.?

The grave that they dug him had flowers

Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors

And the brown earth bleached white

At the edge of his gravestone

He's gone

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "The Grave"?

Don McLean performs "The Grave", and this lyric page sits inside the Don McLean catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "The Grave"?

Yes. The related section below points to American Pie and And I Love You So with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Don McLean?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Don McLean's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on The Grave yet.