Townes Van Zandt
Tecumseh Valley (1969 Version)
[Verse 1]
The name she gave was Caroline
The daughter of a miner
And her ways were free and it seemed to me
That sunshine walked beside her
[Verse 2]
She come from Spencer across the hill
She said her pa had sent her
'Cause the coal was low and soon the snow
Would turn the skies to winter
[Verse 3]
She said she'd come to look for work
She was not seekin' favors
And for a dime a day and a place to stay
She'd turn those hands to labor
[Verse 4]
But the times were hard, Lord, and the jobs were few
All through Tecumseh Valley
But she asked around and a job she found
Tending bar for Gypsy Sally
[Verse 5]
She saved enough to get back home
When spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied, her pa had died
The word come down from Spencer
[Verse 6]
So she turned to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
And it was many a man returned again
To lay himself beside her
[Verse 7]
They found her down beneath the stairs
That led to Gypsy Sally's
And in her hand when she died was a note that cried
"Fare thee well, Tecumseh Valley"
[Verse 1]
The name she gave was Caroline
The daughter of a miner
And her ways were free and it seemed to me
That sunshine walked beside her