Janis Ian - Caleb Brown lyrics

Caleb Brown was a mighty fine man
His skin was the color of the good rich land
He bought a slope-eared mule named Dan
And broke a little piece of ground
Cleared the place with his own bare hands
Made cotton grow in the rocks and the sand
Thought he'd found the promised land
'Til the soldiers came to town

Gather by the river
Light a fire in the old camp ground
Stand and deliver they're burning Dixie down

Caleb Brown never took a side
Always hopеd that the war would pass him by
Trouble came and hе closed his eyes
'Til he woke to the sound of the guns
Stole the chickens and the old milk cow
Left him nothing but a broken plow
He cried out "What can I do now
But to wait for the kingdom come?"

Gather by the river
Light a fire in the old camp ground
Stand and deliver they're burning Dixie down

Was a war, was a mighty fine war
Was a war like the world never seen before
Only one not keeping score
Was a man named Caleb Brown
No one knows what his eyes have seen
How he washed his hands in a bloody stream
Buried all his hopes and dreams
Down in the cold, cold ground

Gather by the river
Light a fire in the old camp ground
Stand and deliver they're burning Dixie down
Stand and deliver they're burning Dixie down