Poor Ellen Smith Songtext
von Laura Cantrell

Come, all you people, my story to hear
What happened to me June of last year
Oh, it′s poor Ellen Smith, Lord, how was she found?
Shot through the heart, lyin' dead on the ground
It′s true, I'm in jail, a prisoner now
God is here with me, hears every vow
So I do promise a truth to relate
I'll tell you all what I know of Ellen′s sad fate


I saw her on Monday before that sad day
Found her body lyin′, took it away
That she had been murdered never entered my mind
'Til a ball through the heart they happened to find
Who is so cruel, so heartless, so base
To murder my poor Ellen in such a lonesome place?
I seen her laid out so still and so cold
I heard the wild stories her witnesses told
And I choked back the tears as the people all said
"It was you, Peter DeGraff, shot our Ellen Smith dead"

Ellen lies sleeping with her hand on her breast
The bloodhounds and the sheriff won′t give me no rest
They got their Winchesters and hunted me down
I stole away to Mount Airy town
I laid off a year and I prayed the whole time
The man could be found what committed the crime
I prayed I'd come back and my character saved
The flowers had faded ′round poor Ellen's grave

I came back to Winston, my trial to stand
And I′ll live or I'll die as the law might command
Ellen sleeps yonder in that lonesome churchyard
And I stare through the bars, God knows it's hard
For they know they will hang me at least if they can
I swear to you I′ll die an innocent man


My soul will be free when I stand at the bar
Where God tries His cross there like a star
That shines in the night will my innocence shine
And I′ll make my appeal to the justice of time