Elijah's Church - Steve Earle

Elijah came to texas

To build his family a home

With his wife and new baby

And what little goods that they owned

Had a good yoke of oxen

And hand tools for clearing the land

And he built him a church

'cause he was a God fearin' man

All of his children when there

Worshiped here through the years

On down to my granddad

He’s buried 'bout 40 yards from here

It’s where I was baptized

And where I took me a wife

And if I have my say so

That’s where I’ll rest when it’s time

When I’m dead and I’m gone

Won’t you carry me home

To that little white church

In my daddy’s home town

'cause lord knows I’m some kind of sinner

But I’ve done come this far

And it’s too late for changin'

When this race has been run

Take me back where I came from

And let me return what I took from the ground

When this body won’t carry me no further

Take me back

And lay me down

This east texas red dirt

Won’t grow much of nothin' they say

'cept tomatoes and peaches

They mostly drill for oil nowadays

And a hired hand named regan

First made me understand

And he told me the red was the blood of my kin in the land