Brave Man's Death - J. Roddy Walston & The Business

When my father put his shame on me

Said he wouldn’t put his name on me

Said he wouldn’t be the first in his family

Whose son cried when he was born

Well he died the day I got a gun

Said that he was proud that I was his son

That was right there in his plan

I’d grow up and be a man

And there was a tear, I saw it in his eye

He said he couldn’t think of a better way to die

And the lord came down

and put a spoon in my mouth

It tasted so bitter, but I couldn’t spit it out

It tasted like the money that my poor mama made

Well, I went and stole it

'Cause she took it to the grave

And there was a note, clenched in her right hand

said 'boy if you want to live, better die like a brave man'

Well, I don’t want to die in the middle of the night

I want a brave man’s death

I don’t want to die in the middle of the night

I want a brave man’s death

Spitting gasoline, burning my teeth, getting salt on the fields of my past

And the sun’ll come down with a milky white flash

I’ll get my brave man’s death at last

I had a woman

She had some kids

She said she loved them

I never did

Just the way that they feed

And take away what was young

Mo' ass (?) and muscle can do what needed to be done

And the day that she died, her cup was fully drained

She said take over my love, that life was worth the pain

Well, I don’t want to die in the middle of the night

I want a brave man’s death

I don’t want to die in the middle of the night

I want a brave man’s death

Spitting gasoline, burning my teeth, getting salt on the fields of my past

And the sun’ll come down with a milky white flash

I’ll get my brave man’s death at last

Had a heart that’s wailing

But I’m back without a bone

and a body’d go to work, but my head would come home

And I always had a knife in case a real man came along

He’d turn his head and his life was gone

So I hold it in my heart, yes I hold it in my heart, no I hide it in my heart

'Cause it’s tearing me apart

Last thing that he said to me was blood was on my hands

God, I want to die like a man

I don’t want to die (I don’t want to die)

I want a brave man’s death

Praying' the lord

A soul to keep, keep it in his right hand

And when they’d left, and send me death

The death of a brave man