Once there was a miner
who held down his job
'til one day he died from
the fate of his God
Now his wife she did mourn him
'til the collectors came around
and stole all his possessions
before they buried him down

Now his wife and his children
pay the rent with their tears
They live alone with one another
wake late at night with their fears
Cause the money ain't nothing
to the rich man in town
but for the sake of a dollar
they let the whole family drown
The old man had wrote out
all the things he had saved
He said he'd saved them a gold mine
but it was all in his head
And one solemn child
who had been born that year
he was brought up with the memories
of the feelings and the fears

Now his wife and his children"¦

The bartender's arms shook
as he poured one more round
He said he'd heard many stories
and was I long in the town
Well I paid up my dollar
and I laughed as I did
I said I'm one of the family
though I've long kept it hid

Now I'm older an tired now
and I've travelled around
I slept in many dark cities
I've been jailed in small towns
and my father would tell you
if he'd lived to this day
that if life be a gamble
let blood be the stakes