Me And Billy Barnum

In 1912, I was only a boy

Hardly 10 years old

The summer was dry, the sun in the sky

Where secrets burn like matches

In my Sunday best, I went down for a walk

To Billy Barnum's house

He was alone, no one was home

So I had an idea

I said to Billy, "let's go walking down in the ravine

There's no one here for miles so we never will be seen

If your folks are in Peoria, they won't be back for hours

So let's go have some fun."

We walked down through the tangle of trees

I lost my bearing twice

But then we emerged, the top of the earth

And watched in silent wonder

We stood tall on the edge of the bridge

When a gust of wind blew through

I stumbled and weaved, and reached for his sleeve

To try and find my balance

But Billy lost his footing and he slipped off of the edge

He caught himself with one hand on an overhanging ledge

But his strength would only last him for a minute, maybe two

Then he crashed down in the river

He crashed down in the river

A shallow grave on the outskirts of town

Is where I laid him down

A secret it's stayed, what happened that day

With me and Billy Barnum

With me and Billy Barnum