I met her at the mission,
Living just this side of sin
Her mouth was soft and when she spoke,
Lord, I fell right in
She had a baby in a blanket,
A dollar and a half
She looked a little leery,
She let out a little laugh
Opened up my overcoat,
Invited them inside
Two fragile little flowers,
With nowhere left to hide
She said her old man left her,
Just before the baby came
I could feel the tears well up inside,
Each time she spoke his name
Swing low, swing low,
Sweet angel face
Why would such a simple child,
Come to such a place?
We talked until the wind died down,
The baby woke and stirred
She made a little hushing sound,
Spoke some magic word
The baby yawned and smiled at me,
But she said: "We can't stay"
She thanked me for my kindness,
Turned and walked away
Swing low, swing low,
Sweet angel face
Why would such a simple child,
Come to such a place?
I think about them all the time,
And hope they found their home
Seems that it's my calling now,
To walk these streets alone
Sometimes when the wind is right,
I can smell her sweet perfume
I think about the warm embrace,
That ended all too soon
Swing low, swing low,
Sweet angel face
Why would such a simple child,
Come to such a place?
Oh, oh, oh, why would such a simple child,
Come to such a place?