THE PREACHER'S WIFE

Oh, the preacher's wife, she's a skinny little thing (Oh my, oh my)
Taught me how to play and sing (Oh my)
But I never meant, upon my life (Oh my, oh my)
To fall in love with the preacher's wife

Oh, the preacher, he's a favored man
Well beloved and in demand
Spreads himself so far and wide
Ain't nothin' left to give his bride

I used to jack the Northern Pine
Up the Minnesota line
But I quit that vicious timber trade
I take odd jobs and I make odd pay

Come a drizzlin' September dawn
I'se tryin' to mow the wet church lawn
She said, "Come in out of the rain."
Lord, did she know what she was sayin'?

We sat so bashful and so still
Rain hissin' on the windowsill
Till she took this guitar from the wall
'Twas then that I began to fall

Oh, she taught me how to pick and sing
Through winter into early spring
With her nimble, knowin' hands on mine
Our fingers daily did entwine

In a small town, you know how it goes
You fall down, everybody knows
And the fastest rumors to get out
Are for things nobody talks about

So, the preacher's wife soon felt the sting
Of silence that says everything
Of sharp helloes and short replies
Of whispers and accusing eyes

And when she staggered from the weight
Of waggin' tongues and naggin' hate
She called our lessons to an end
And bade me never come again

He woke me in the still of night
The preacher in the pale moonlight
Says he, "The one we love has fled.
And I despair that she is dead."

Down in a cavern, deep and cold
They found her wedding ring I'm told
But nothing more was ever found
I'm sure she quit this dreadful town

Then, while the shepherd and his flock
Were searchin' blindly in their shock
I stole this guitar from the church
And set out on my private search

From town to town, I play for tips
In taverns and on gamblin' ships
I seek her face both near and far
And fill each song with love for her

Oh, the preacher's wife was a skinny little thing
Taught me how to play and sing
But I never meant, upon my life
To fall in love with the preacher's wife.

Copyright 2005, Ragamuffin Music