Reverend Mr. Black Songtext

He rode easy in the saddle he was tall and lean At first you thought nothing but a streak of mean Could make a man look so downright strong But one look in his eyes and you know what you was wrong He was a mountain of a man and I want you to know He could preach hot hell of freezin' snow He carried a Bible in a canvas sack The folks just called him the Reverend Mr Black He was poor as a beggar but he rode like a king And sometimes in the evening you could hear him sing I've gotta walk that lonesome valley I've gotta walk it by myself Oh nobody else can make it for me I've gotta walk it by myself If ever I could have through this man in black Was sort or had any yellow up his back I gave that nation up the day A lumberjack came in and it want to pray And he kicked open that meetin' house door He cussed everybody up and down the floor Then when things get quiet in the place Walked up and cussed in the preacher's face And he hit that reverend like the kick of a mule To my way of thinking it took a pure fool To turn the other cheek to that lumberjack But that's what he did the Reverend Mr Black Wellhe stood like a rock a man among men And he let that lumberjack hit him again Then with a voice as kind as could be He cut him down like a big oak tree When he said you've gotta walk that lonesome valley You've gotta walk it by yourself Oh nobody else can make it for you You've gotta walk it by yourself It's been many years since we had to part and I guess I've learned his ways by heart I can still hear his sermonts ring down in the valley where he used to sing I followed his yes sir and I don't regret it and I hope that I can be of credit To his memory for you understand the Reverend Mr Black was my old man You've gotta walk that lonesome valley...