[Verse 1] Widow Blackwood wore black lace With a candle by the door Four gold rings in a velvet case And room enough for more Folks would whisper when she passed But never to her face She had a smile like frozen glass And a slow, expensive grace They said, “That woman’s cursed for sure” She said, “Maybe that is true” But every man who took her hand Had something coming due [Chorus] Oh, Widow Blackwood Standing in the rain One more husband in the ground One more shadow to her name Oh, Widow Blackwood With her eyes so cold Every vow was silver Every grave was gold [Verse 2] The first one had a wandering eye And hands that couldn’t stay He kissed a girl behind the mill Then came home late one day He went working in the timber With a whistle and his sin But the old pine kicked out sideways And it came down hard on him They found him cold as stone With his wedding band still on Widow Blackwood dabbed one tear And said, “I can’t believe he’s gone” [Verse 3] The second one was whiskey mean And loved to raise his hand He broke the plates, he cursed his luck And called himself a man One night he drank the whole house dry Then staggered off to bed By morning he was graveyard stiff And had bruises on his head The preacher said, “A tragic thing” The sheriff said, “Too bad” Widow Blackwood fixed her veil And didn’t look a trifle sad [Chorus] Oh, Widow Blackwood Standing in the rain One more husband in the ground One more shadow to her name Oh, Widow Blackwood With her eyes so cold Every vow was silver Every grave was gold [Verse 4] The third one was a ghost at home A stranger in his chair Never heard a word she said Never noticed she was there But he had a policy Big enough to bless And a sudden taste for mountain trails And scenic loneliness No bones, no coat No final note No body in the fall Widow Blackwood wore black lace And smiled through it all [Bridge] The fourth one lies in Blackwood House With fever in his skin He hears her footsteps down the hall And knows she won’t come in She sits beside the window With perfume in the air Sweet as rot and roses Curling everywhere He says, “My love, I’m fading” She says, “We all must go” Then folds her hands upon her lap And watches nice and slow [Final Chorus] Oh, Widow Blackwood Standing in the rain One more husband nearly gone One more shadow to her name Oh, Widow Blackwood With her eyes so cold Every vow was silver Every grave was gold Oh, Widow Blackwood Let the church bells ring She don’t need a lover She don’t need a king She just needs a witness And a little time to pass While husband number four Sees her smiling through the glass [Outro] Widow Blackwood wore black lace With a candle by the door Four gold rings in a velvet case And room enough for more
