Well now, boys I've been to Bethlehem
Rode there on a big steam train
Lost two fingers in the steel wheels
And I ain't goin' back again.
I fought for my country
Lord knows I did my best
Crawlin' cross some foreign field
They pinned a ribbon to my chest.
So pass around the bottle boys
Let's talk about old times
Night's rollin' in, it's cold as sin
Here on the Welfare Line.
Served on a Georgia road gang
Couldn't pay the debts I owed
Cause I ain't made of silver
And I ain't ever seen no gold.
I still remember Rachel
Soft as a velvet gown
They laid her in a pauper's grave
On the other side of town.
Now some folks are born to money
You know I wish 'em well
If the Devil should ever want my soul
I swear I'd never sell.