The Ballad For Forty Dollars

The man who preached the funeral said it

Really was a simple way to die

He laid down to rest one afternoon

And never opened up his eyes

They hired me and Fred and Joe

To dig the grave and carry up some chairs

It took us seven hours and I guess

We've must have drunk a case of beer

Well I guess I ought to go and watch they

Put him down but I don't own a suit

And anyway when they start talkin'

About the fire 'n hell I get spooked

So let's just sit here in my truck

And act like we don't know him when they pass

Anyway, when they're all through

We've got to go to work and mow the grass

Here they come and who's that riding

In that big ol' shiny limousine

Look at all that chrome I do belive

That's the sharpest thing I've ever seen

That must belong to his rich uncle

Someone said he owned a big ol' farm

When they get parked let's mosey down

And look it over, that won't do no harm

That must be the widow in the car and

Won't you take a look at that

That sure is a pretty dress, you know

Some women do look good in black

He's not even in the ground and

They tell me his truck is up for sale

They said she took it pretty hard but

You can't tell too much behind the veil

Listen, ain't that pretty when

The bugler plays the military taps

Yeah, I think that when you's in the war

They always hide and play a song like that

Here we are and there he goes

And I guess you might call it our bad luck

I hope he rest in peace but the trouble is

The fellow owes us forty bucks