Down in the swamps of Louisiana, where the cypress trees weep slow,
Moonlight drips off the river, like a secret nobody knows.
I heard a chain drag on the levee, heard a whistle low and deep,
Saw a tall man in a black coat where the muddy waters sleep.
He said, “Son, I been walkin’,” with a voice like gravel and rain,
“From the red clay roads of nowhere to the edge of your back door pain.”
Had a silver-handled scythe and a Bible worn thin,
Said, “I ain’t here for your body… I’m here for your sin.”
(Pre-Chorus)
Ooooh, the wind cried through the cane,
Like a funeral train callin’ out my name.
(Chorus)
Oh, the Grim Reaper’s ridin’ through the pines tonight,
Shadow long in the pale moonlight.
And the Undertaker’s waitin’ with a shovel and a prayer,
Down in the red dirt, cool night air.
One takes your breath, one lays you down,
Six feet under on the edge of town.
Hear that church bell moan and moan—
Ain’t no soul leaves Louisiana alone.
(Verse 2)
Undertaker by the river, got dirt on his hands,
Pressed black suit, boots sunk in the sand.
He hums old gospel, voice soft and low,
While the casket creaks like a door in the cold.
He said, “I don’t judge, I just measure the ground,
Make it straight and narrow when the box goes down.
Reaper does the callin’, I just close the deal,
Hammer in the nail with a cold hard steel.”
(Pre-Chorus)
Ooooh, hear that hammer ring,
Like a delta bluesman bendin’ on a string.
(Chorus)
Oh, the Grim Reaper’s ridin’ through the pines tonight,
Shadow long in the pale moonlight.
And the Undertaker’s waitin’ with a shovel and a prayer,
Down in the red dirt, cool night air.
One takes your breath, one lays you down,
Six feet under on the edge of town.
Hear that church bell moan and moan—
Ain’t no soul leaves Louisiana alone.
(Bridge – Soul Breakdown)
Well I tried to run to Baton Rouge,
Tried to hide in New Orleans,
But death rides slow on a midnight horse,
Through the spaces in between.
He don’t need no ticket, don’t need no gun,
Just the tick-tock beat of a setting sun.
And the Undertaker wipes his brow,
Says, “Everybody’s comin’ home somehow.”
(Guitar Solo – slow, crying bends like B.B. King on the bayou)
(Final Chorus – Bigger, Choir-style)
Yeah the Grim Reaper’s ridin’ through the pines tonight,
Shadow long in the pale moonlight.
And the Undertaker’s waitin’ with a shovel and a prayer,
Down in the red dirt, cool night air.
One takes your breath, one lays you down,
Six feet under on the edge of town.
Hear that church bell moan and moan—
Ain’t no soul leaves Louisiana alone.
(Outro – Slow fade)
Black coat on the bayou…
Shovel in the clay…
When the river starts risin’,
You can’t keep death away.
Oh Lord…
You can’t keep death away.
