James McMurtry
Deaver’s Crossing
[Verse 1]
He walked the road with his back all bent
Ever since the accident
Leanin' on his walking cane
He kept walkin' just the same

[Chorus]
Deaver's gone from the crossin'
No one now keeps the ford
From the banks of Jeremiah's run
Off into the setting sun

[Verse 2]
He was there through the darkest night
The gypsy moth and the chestnut blight
The market crash and the teapot dome
He was there when the boys came home

[Chorus]
Deaver's gone from the crossin'
No one now keeps the ford
From the banks of Jeremiah's run
Off into the setting sun

[Verse 3]
He was there when Uncle Sam
Took away the neighbors' land
To make that Shenandoah Park
The woods got thick and the woods got dark
[Bridge]
Start walkin' back towards town
Retrace your steps as you go
Keep walkin', watch the ground
It's there somewhere I know

[Verse 4]
Deaver's gone, Mrs. Deaver too
Finer folk you never knew
With smiles for all you passers-by
And in the churchyard now they lie

[Verse 5]
So, when you fish that March Brown Hatch
Won't you share your morning's catch
With those whose ground you walked across
May their memory be not lost

[Chorus]
Deaver's gone from the crossin'
No one now keeps the ford
From the banks of Jeremiah's run
Off into the setting sun