The Man Who Never Smiled

[Intro] There was a man in a black old coat Walked our town with a heavy note Never laughed and he never stayed Just left hard words wherever he strayed [Verse 1] Folks said his eyes were cold as tin Like no light had ever lived in him If a man fell down he'd turn away Said mercy was a game fools play [Verse 2] Said, “This world’s a fight and I aim to win Soft hearts never cash their chips in” Push a man down, take what you can That was the law of the old mean man [Pre-Chorus] But some old timers quietly said “There’s hurt in the places he keeps dead” Something long ago went wrong And locked his heart up tight and strong [Chorus] He was the man who never smiled Mean as winter, bitter and wild Thought the world was a thing to beat Left broken souls along the street But a heart held shut for all those years Only echoes back your fears [Verse 3] They say when he was just a boy Life took something it can’t restore Since that day he built his walls Stone by stone, and tall by tall [Verse 4] Years rolled on and the town moved past But a man can't outrun his past When he died in that empty room Only silence came to the tomb [Final Chorus] He was the man who never smiled Mean as winter, bitter and wild Won every fight he ever chose But nobody came when they closed his doors [Outro] And the preacher said as the cold wind ran “A locked-up heart is a lonely man.”