[Verse 1]
I killed a man in Birmingham
I hit him with a tire iron
He did not move and I do not give a damn
I've been working here like a slave mule
Sucking the earth of dry crude
Looking for a way out of it all
Cops are comin', I can feel 'em here
My back is crawlin' with standin' hair
Wouldn't mind to see a few pigs fall

[Chorus]
So take me down to the river
My blood all on the floor
'Cause I don't know if I can carry this weight
Much longer anymore
Take me up the mountain
On a cloud bound for the sky
Don't go prayin' for me
Because tonight I'm prepared to die

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, woah
Oh, woah
Oh
Oh, woah
Oh, woah
Oh
[Verse 2]
That night out there in Birmingham
That boy, he tried to rob mе
I did not want to, but I had to
Show that boy the real me
At night, I oftеn wonder
What my tombstone will say
Would it mention any of my good
Or just the evil in my days?
The dust has now settled
From the boys that busted in
I am not a bad man
But there's bullets in my skin

[Chorus]
Take me down to the river
My blood all on the floor
'Cause I don't know if I can carry this weight
Much longer anymore
Take me up the mountain
On a cloud bound for the sky
Don't go prayin' for me
Because tonight I'm prepared to die

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, woah
Oh, woah
Oh
Woah
Oh, woah
Oh
[Outro]
Well, I killed a man in Birmingham
That boy, he tried to rob me
I did not want to, but I had to
Show that boy the real me