Nanci Griffith - Tecumseh Valley lyrics

The name she gave was Caroline
Daughter of a miner
And her ways were free and it seemed to me
The sunshine walked beside her

She came to Spencer 'cross the hill
She said her Pa had sent her
'Cause the coal was low and soon the snow
Would turn the skies to winter

She said she'd come to look for work
She was not seeking favors
But for a dime a day and a place to stay
She'd turn those hands to labor

But the times were hard, Lord
The jobs were few
All through Tecumseh Valley
But she asked around and a job she found
Tending bar for Gypsy Sally

She saved enough to get back home
When spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied, her pa had died
The word come down from Spencer

So she turned to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
And it was many a man returned again
To lay himself beside her

They found her down beneath the stairs
That led to Gypsy Sally's
And in her hand when she died
Was a note that cried
"Fare thee well, Tecumseh Valley"