The Willow Tree
Tragedy Unveiled: The Dark Tale of the Weeping Willow Tree in Ike Drummond's Ballad
Lyrics
There was a town in Alabama
Describes the setting of the narrative, a town in Alabama.
Back in 1863
Specifies the historical context as 1863.
And all along the roads
Highlights the presence of weeping willow trees along the roads.
Were weeping willow trees
Emphasizes the prevalence of willow trees and their symbolic nature.
There was a tree towards the end
Introduces a specific willow tree meant for cleansing sins.
Meant to cleanse you of your sin
Suggests a spiritual or moral aspect associated with the mentioned tree.
Many a soul fell upon the weeping willow tree
Reflects on the tree's significance as souls seek solace there.
There was a man in this little town
Introduces a character named John F.W. Mount in the town.
Whose name was John F.W. Mount
Identifies John as a resident of the town.
Well, he owned a house and a piece of land
Details John's possessions—house and land.
And that my friends is were the trouble began
Indicates that trouble started with John's ownership of land.
You see his land was on a gold rich place
Reveals the valuable nature of John's land, rich in gold.
And one day a man showed up to say
Introduces a stranger proposing a gold mining partnership.
He said I'll give you a share if we can mine for gold
John refuses the offer despite the promised share of gold.
But John just turned and said no you won't
Describes John's reaction, turning away from the proposal.
When John walked out and turned his back
Implies a transformation in the stranger when John rejects the offer.
You could see the strange mans eyes turn black
Physically describes the change in the stranger's eyes.
They were black with a greed and a hatred for
Attributes greed and hatred to the stranger's blackened eyes.
A good man who didn't say nothing more
Notes John's silence and the stranger's escalating malevolence.
So one day when John was on his land
Sets the stage for a pivotal event—John on his land.
This evil man hatched up a plan
Reveals the stranger's plan to take John's land.
He'd take Johns land for the money and the deed
Specifies the motives—money and deed—for the planned act.
And he knews there was only one thing he'd need
Hints at a necessary element for the stranger's scheme.
You could hear the cry for miles around
Describes the widespread distress as John is attacked.
When John got jumped and knocked to the ground
Chronicles the moment John is assaulted and falls.
It was a cold day for this malevolent deed
Emphasizes the sinister nature of the act with the term "malevolent deed."
What the townsfolk saw when they walked in the street
Depicts the reaction of townsfolk witnessing the aftermath.
Way down there near the end of the road
Locates the scene near the end of the road.
They saw a strange figure hanging from a rope
Details the discovery of a figure hanging from a rope.
Twas a sad day, a sad day indeed
Expresses the sorrow and sadness surrounding the event.
When they found John on the willow tree
Confirms the discovery of John hanging from the willow tree.
He was hung from the willow tree
Reiterates the method of John's tragic end—hanging.
Hung from a willow tree
Concludes by emphasizing the connection of John to the willow tree.
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