Townes Van Zandt — Tecumseh Valley Live at Carnegie Hall 1969

[Verse 1] Well the name she gave was Caroline The daughter of a miner And her ways were free, and it seemed to me That sunshine walked beside her [Verse 2] Well she come from Spencer, 'cross the hill She said her pa had sent her 'Cause the coal was low and soon the snow Would turn the skies to winter [Verse 3] She said she'd come to look for work She was not seekin' favors And for a dime a day and a place to stay Well she'd turn those hands to labor [Verse 4] But the times were hard, Lord, and the jobs were few All through Tecumseh Valley But she asked around and a job she found Tending bar for Gypsy Sally [Verse 5] And she saved enough to get back home When spring replaced the winter But her dreams were denied, her pa had died The word come down from Spencer [Verse 6] So she turned to whorin' out on the streets With all the lust inside her And it was many a man, returned again To lay himself beside her [Verse 7] Well they found her down beneath the stairs That led to Gypsy Sally's And in her hand when she died was a note that cried "Fare thee well, Tecumseh Valley" [Verse 1] Well the name she gave was Caroline The daughter of a miner And her ways were free, and it seemed to me That sunshine walked beside her