From the recording It's a Short Life
Dave Melody - lead vocal
Lyrics
14) Bottom Of The Mine
billy hunsinger & m.litton
There’s a mine pit in Picher where many bodies lie
There’s a mine pit in Picher ‘neath the Oklahoma sky
There are crocked gamblers and the guys who run shine
And their bones lie bleachin’ at the bottom of the mine
That circuit-ridin’ preacher pointed his finger at me
He said, “Boy, you’re a heathen just plain as can be
“Better git off the devil’s highway and back on Jesus time
“Or your bones will lie bleachin’ at the bottom of the mine”
Chorus: At the bottom of the mine in those Oklahoma hills
Where fortunes were made and the scree lies spilled
At the bottom of the mine where the iron turns to rust
And the rattlesnakes coil in the windblown dust
I heard tales of Stand Wattie at my grandpa’s knee
He was the last Confederate general and chief of the Cherokee
They say his heart was true and his tongue never lied
Unlike those whose bones bleach at the bottom of the mine
(chorus)
My momma was a poor girl bought ‘n sold
My daddy was a half-breed with a Cherokee soul
They caught him runnin’ cattle ‘cross the Kansas line
And left his bones to bleach at the bottom of the mine
May the spirit of Stand Wattie help me git away
And I’ll say “goodbye” to this Oklahoma clay
I’ll cross the Red River before flooding time
And pray my bones never bleach at the bottom of the mine
(chorus)