Pairlee was a bastard child
Born in east Tennessee
Mama left her one day,
granddaddy took her away
Grandpa just tended his mill
And he planted the corn in the field
Pairlee works by his side,
they sing up to the sky
Pairlee, Pairlee
Died under an apple tree
One cold winter's night,
the frost took her life
They'd walk through the woods at night
Holding hands, he'd let her lead
Dreamt of days without corn,
prayed with hands that were worn
There's something about them woods
A child can never know
Where the old fallen leaves
go when they float down the stream
Pairlee, Pairlee
Died under an apple tree
One cold winter's night,
the frost took her life
Instrumental
And grandpa, he loved Pairlee
But his mind was getting so old
One night beneath that tree,
Pairlee fell deep asleep
And grandpa just wandered around
In the dark down by the creek
It was mid December
when her forgot her
Pairlee, Pairlee
Died under an apple tree
One cold winter's night,
the frost took her life
Now pa just sits in his yard
No corn to tend in his mill
'neath that tree he finds shade,
right where Pairlee had laid