Lyrics

JOHNNY I WILL

Last night I found the bonnet that I wore on a Sunday outing long ago
Daddy covered it with daisies as we sat and watched the lazy river flow
I let my simple dreams float down the river where I knew one day I'd find them
A house with porch and picket fence, a garden filled with flowers, and a warm love glow


Now I sit and watch the morning sun come filtering through the coal dust in the air
The foul and blackened creek beside the shack can't float the dreams that I still bear
The shack I share with Mama seems so empty since the cave-in at the mine
Now Mama never talks and laughter never rings from Daddy's empty chair


| Oh I can bear my grim and grimy life and the longing for my dreams when you are near
| Your hands are hard as coal but your smile is warm and your eyes are bright and clear
| There are moments when we dance when drab reality just seems to disappear
| If you ask me to marry you and live my life in the coal fields, Johnny I will


I'll fix your lunch and see you off to wait in quiet desperation
Just to feel my heart leap when I see you turn the corner at the station
I'll stand by your side when you decide that you must fight to save the union
You can count on me when the strike comes and we live in want and fear for the duration

Chorus