The Reverend Mr. Black

(album: #16 - 1963)

He rode easy in the saddle, he was tall and lean
And at first you'd a-thought nothing but a streak of mean
Could make a man look so down right strong
But one look in his eyes and you knowed you was wrong
He was a mountain of a man, and I want you to know
He could preach hot hell or freezing snow
He carried a Bible in a canvas sack and folks
Just called him The Reverend Mr. Black
He was poor as a beggar, but he rode like a king
Sometimes in the evening, I'd hear him sing

I gotta walk that lonesome valley. I got to walk it by myself
Oh, nobody else can walk it for me. I got to walk it by myself

If ever I could have thought this man in black was soft and had any yellow up his back
I gave that notion up the day a lumberjack came in and it wasn't to pray
Yeah, he kicked open the meeting house door and he cussed everybody up and down the floor!
Then, when things got quiet in the place, he walked up and cusses in the preacher's face!

He hit that Reverend like a kick of a mule and to my way of thinking it took a real fool
To turn the other face to that lumber jack, but that's what he did, The Reverend Mr. Black
He stood like a rock, a man among men and he let that lumberjack hit him again
And then with a voice as quiet as could be, he cut him down like a big oak tree when he said

I gotta walk that lonesome valley. I got to walk it by myself
Oh, nobody else can walk it for me. I got to walk it by myself
You got to walk that lonesome valley. You got to walk it by yourself
Oh, nobody else can walk it for you. You got to walk it by yourself

It's been many years since we had to part and I guess I learned his ways by heart
I can still hear his sermon's ring, down in the valley where he used to sing
I followed him, yes, sir, and I don't regret it
And I hope I will always be a credit to his memory 'cause I want you to understand
The Reverend Mr. Black was my old man

I gotta walk that lonesome valley. I got to walk it by myself
Oh, nobody else can walk it for me. I got to walk it by myself
You got to walk that lonesome valley. You got to walk it by yourself
Oh, nobody else can walk it for you. You got to walk it by yourself