There in my memory
Just on periphery
Loose-knit like gauze on the centerline
The broke-down cobblestone drive, the Black Mariah
For when it comes for you
Nothing be done for you
Write down your name on the bottom line
Shut up your mouth, son: here's the Black Mariah
The Black Mariah comes for us all
Can't you hear their boots in the hall?
Answer your name when they call the Black Mariah
The Black Mariah
Where are the neighbors?
The boot-blacking laborers'
Windows are dark and the shutters drawn
The only lone souls who roam are all pariahs
Turn down your lantern light
Set your affairs to right
Put out the prayers that you mumble on
'Cause everyone is an enemy come the Black Mariah
The Black Mariah comes for us all
Line the muck with their backs to the wall
It's gone by the time they all fall, the Black Mariah
The Black Mariah
The Black Mariah comes for us all
Can't you hear their boots in the hall?
Answer your name when they call the Black Mariah
The Black Mariah
There in my memory
Just on periphery
Loose-knit like gauze on the centerline
The broke-down cobblestone drive, the Black Mariah