Anne Woods

Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Ballad

Let me tell you a tale of Faro Gulch,
A rough, tough town long dead;
But it was a town that was meaner than Hell
When Nellie and I were wed.
I made my first strike at Faro Gulch.
'Twas a hard and lonely life;
And I thought, as I dug for the yellow gold,
I must look for me a wife.
I wanted a girl who'd be honest and true --
No dance hall girl for me!
I dreamed of a girl with eyes of blue,
Who had never been bold and free.
Well, I found my Nellie the very next Spring --
We were married in Tennessee;
And when I told my Bride about Faro Gulch,
she said she would go there with me.
she brightened our cabin with curtains and guilt's;
A rag rug covered the floor.
Geraniums bloomed at the window sills,
and a wild rose grew by the door.
She labored one night to bring me a son,
But our baby died a borning;
I buried my Boy in his Mother's arms,
For Nellie was dead by morning.
Then I rode away from my cabin and claim.
What was there left to save?
When all I'd hold dear for the rest of my life,
I left in that lonely grave.
There was never another like Nellie for me,
Sweeter than milk and honey!
The only girl in Far Gulch,
Who wouldn't trade love for money.
185 Total read