[Verse 1] Dusk in the pines, the light bleeds slow, Shadows stretch like arms let go. Beneath the palms, my breath grows thin, Texas dreams call me in... [Chorus] Oh, don’t weep for me, my brothers dear, The river’s wide but the far shore’s near. Through the mist, through the tide, I’m bound for the free country... I’m crossing the deep tonight. [Verse 2] Nell, my star, in the Northwest wind, Your letters hum like a worn-out hymn. Ma sleeps soft ‘neath the churchyard stone, Pa’s with the ocean’s moan... [Chorus] Oh, don’t weep for me, my brothers dear, The river’s wide but the far shore’s near. Through the mist, through the tide, I’m bound for the free country... I’m crossing the deep tonight. [Bridge] "She told me ‘Go… drive ‘em out,’ Though her hands shook like a candle drought. Now who’ll stand where I stood before? Who’ll kneel by that cabin door...?" [Rangers' Oath] "By iron and dust, we swear it true, Till the last man falls—we’ll see her through. Your blood’s our blood, your name our vow, We’ll ride for her somehow..." [Outro] Saddle my pillow, my gun my cross, The stars hang low like a dying torch. Nell… I’m halfway home… Somewhere the deep is gone.
