It twas one autumn evenin, An old man filled with age,

voice; guitarsCollected by: Doug Dunham For M. C. Parler Instrumental: Tommy Doyle Hilltop Cafe Tommy Doyle Between Diamond and Neosho, Mo. Jan. 2, '65 Reel 305 Item 2 It twas one autumn evenin, An old man filled with age, Straddled up to the Express office, Just off of a dusty stage, Is this an Express office, I've come to meet my son, They told me that the train was due, At this place at half past one. You've made a slight mistake, sir, I'd like for you to know, This is an Express Office, And not a town depot, You do not understand me, sir, With trembling lips he said, He's not a-comin' home as a passenger, But by Express--he's dead. He's broken his dear mother's deart, And mine is broken, too, We told him that he'd come back dead, When he joined them boys from the blue. Just then the whistle pierced the air, And someone cried outloud, The old man with the trembling lips, Stepped only outside of the croud, The box that was in the baggage coach, Was lowered tothe ground, It was an eager anxious group, That quickly gathered around. Don't handle him so roughly boys, For he's our darlin' Jack, He went away as you boys now, See how he's coming back, He's broken his dear mother's heart, And mine is broken, too, He went away but now he's back, He joined them boys from Mizzou.Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation