Old Elijah Lyrics

Elijah Owen Johnson rode with Jackson in the war
He served his time in Caroline up the east Virginia shore
He'd seen enough of that rebel blood to drive any man insane
Somebody mentioned Yankee, he'd just spit and cuss the name

They called him old Elijah from the day that he was born
And he worked the wheel at the grinding mill sacking Carolina corn
And his woman died with a stillborn child and left him there to raise
His only livin' daughter with a sweet angelic face

And he swore he would love her, and he swore that he would kill
Any man who threatened danger to his angel, Sara Jill

One night as he lay sleepin' he heard footsteps in the rain
And he saw a shadow movin' in the dim light of a flame
And he swore it was the uniform of a union man he dread
So he fired out in his anger from his window as he said
Your union killed my brothers when they took their rebel stand
Now I'm gonna spill your Yankee blood here on my southern landIron Horse - Old Elijah - http://motolyrics.com/iron-horse/old-elijah-lyrics.html
And When the gun laid silent and when all the words were said
He ran to hide his daughter, but he found an empty bed

And he swore that he would love her, and he swore that he would kill
Any man that threatened danger to his angel, Sara Jill

He ran up toward the mill side where he'd seen the shadow go
And he found the lamp still burning in there in the ember glow
Lay a bloody woolen overcoat and a petticoat of lace
and a lifeless little body with a sweet angelic face

The preacher and the family sadly bowed their heads to pray
And with solomn words they sought the Lord Beside a double grave
Cause they found Elijah lying by her body in the dawn
His finger on the trigger of the pistol he had drawn

Cause he swore that he would love her, and he swore that he would kill
Any man that threatened danger to his angel, Sara Jill