When I arrived in Canton the whole place seemed like it was in danger of going underwater. Storms up in the mountains were filling the rivers to bursting.
lyrics
I was sent here by a man in a suit.
He told me “Son, you’ve got a big job to do.
We got news that there’s been flooding nearby.
You hold your place or the whole town will die.”
But the waters too high
And the banks will not hold
And I can’t keep my grip
Because my hands are too cold.
There’s dirt in my mouth
And a roar in my ears.
I’ve got a sickening sense
That I’ve wasted my years.
I kept myself on the path of the just.
Set aside drinking and held out against lust.
Now my head is bleeding from a tree that swept by
And I’ve been praying to an empty sky.
And the waters too high
The banks will not hold.
I can’t keep my grip
Because my hands are too cold.
There’s dirt in my mouth
And a roar in my ears.
I’ve got a sickening sense
That I’ve wasted my years.
credits
from Canton,
released April 5, 2012
All Music, Lyrics, Instruments, Vocals - John Stanford