John Wilkes Booth

Tony Rice

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Tony Rice

Tony Rice (born David Anthony Rice, June 8, 1951, Danville, Virginia) is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is considered one of the most influential acoustic guitar players in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. more »


Year:
1988
3:52
1,183 
#3

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John Wilkes Booth was a southern man,
Born of an actor in Maryland,
Bound for fortune on a gas-lit stage,
Bound to die at a tender age. 

Washington to Baltimore,
He played the bills and he slept with whores,
And he burned inside with a hatred deep
For the man who caused the south to weep. 

Young Abe Lincoln wasn't young no more,
Tired old man when he won the war,
And he dreamed at night of his death by 

And he saw his body in a ghastly dream,
Draped in black while his widow screamed.
Two silver dollars on his eyelids lay.
Abraham Lincoln has died today. 

CHORUS: They said there were five and they said there were ten.
Some say there was never more than just one man.
Oh, it's awful to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixie Land. 

John Wilkes Booth and his band of men
They'd failed before but would try again.
When Good Friday dawned with a fickle sun,
Then Booth declared the day had come. 

The word was passed and the guns were brought,
Down to Mary Sarrat's boarding house.
Sealed in a note, Booth named just four,
But the gallows would sway with many more. 

CHORUS 

John Wilkes Booth went to his grave
With a bullet in his neck and a broken leg,
A patriot and his fantasy
Of redemption, grace, and bravery. 

And those who hanged and those who spent
Their lives behind a jailer's fence,
Only Booth could have set them free
From the taint of the conspiracy.

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Written by: MARY CARPENTER, MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

Discuss the John Wilkes Booth Lyrics with the community:

1 Comment
  • Mitchell Barker
    Mitchell Barker
    The third verse is cut short. The last line should read, "And he dreamed at night of his death by the hand of a bittter world and a faceless man."
    The third line of the chorus should read ," . . . who would smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead." 
    LikeReply 14 years ago
    • Robert Lax
      Robert Lax
      Yes - the misrendered line “awful to see Mr. Lincoln dead” doesn’t even make sense in context not to mention that anyone who listened to the song knows that isn’t right - so annoying the mistake gets repeated on almost every “lyric” site. 
      LikeReply3 years ago

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"John Wilkes Booth Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1054274/Tony+Rice/John+Wilkes+Booth>.

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