The Rumjacks - The Reaper And Tam McCorty lyrics

Tam he woke tae find a shadow by the bed
Blamed it on the vapors
Still beleaguerin' his head
Scrubbed his chops & dragged an oily
Bug rake through his hair
And wiped the mirror tae find
The bogey mimickin' his stare

He boilt the jug tae quench his mug
& baked a lump o' toast
Hid behind the racin' pages
From the hoary ghost
"Awfy ghostie if yer here tae make me dead
Spare me life & bother me
Wife or Mother-in law instead!"

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry
I know youre just a broken man
Wi' longing in his eye
I'll say my say & go my
Way a-carving through the rye
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die"
"By the way ye've hung yer tools o'
Trade & mantle I can tell
Ye willnae leave until ye've seen
Me safely intae hell
So follow me down the 'Horse &
Crown' of liquor I'm sae fond
I'll drink meself tae death &
Haunt the witches from beyond"

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry
I know youre just a broken man
Wi' longing in his eye
I'll say my say & go my
Way a-carving through the rye
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die"

They drank to fallen heroes
They spat & cursed the Queen
They argued o'er 'Black Caviar' -
The finest ever seen?
They smoked cigars & played at cards
For pots o' Gilbeys Gin
Roarin' as the fiery liqour
It spilled all down their chin

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry
I know youre just a broken man
Wi' longing in his eye
I'll say my say & go my
Way a-carving through the rye
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die"

They staggered home along the tracks
& pissed against a post
The dogs a' barkin' madly
All as though they'd seen a ghost
"Oh take me now I beg you
Pick yer mark & pick it well
I'm tired o' livin' & there I think
I hear the hounds o' HELL!"

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry
I know youre just a broken man
Wi' longing in his eye
I'll say my say & go my
Way a-carving through the rye
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die"

Death threw his cloak across him where
He passed out in his chair
And whispered in a frosty tone
Directly in his ear
"Best you learn to live again
Forgive yerself yer past
For when you see me next Tam
It'll be your last"

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry
I know youre just a broken man
Wi' longing in his eye
I'll say my say & go my
Way a-carving through the rye
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die"

"Tam McCorty I'm not here to make you cry
I know youre just a broken man
Wi' longing in his eye
I'll say my say & go my
Way a-carving through the rye
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die
Tam McCorty, it's not your day to die"