Steve Earle — Tecumseh Valley

The name she gave was Caroline The daughter of a miner And her ways were free and it seemed to me The sunshine walked beside her She comes from Spencer across the hill She said her pa had sent her Because the coal was low and soon the snow Would turn the skies to winter She said she'd come to look for work She was not seeking favors For a dime a day and a place to stay Ah, she could turn them hands to labor Ah, but times were hard and jobs were few All through Tecumseh Valley But she asked around and the job she found Tending bar for Gypsy Sally She saved enough to get back home When the spring replaced the winter But her dreams were denied, her pa had died The word had come down from Spencer She took to whoring out on the streets With all the lust inside her Many a man returned again Just to lay himself beside her They found her down beneath the stairs That lead to Gypsy Sally's In her hand when she died was a note that cried "Fare thee well, Tecumseh Valley"