Lord knows that noose
like’t rip that boy’s head right off,
Not f’r Billy’s ol’ rope.
We cou’d hear a someth’n’ snappin’ 
‘fore those big ol’ black feet 
crash’d down ‘n them roots.
That boy sure cried out when ‘e hit,
pro’l’ly broke his ankles.
Sheriff an’ Billy Boy
’bout ripp’d all that bark
right off that dern willo’
climb’n’ back up
t’ fix that rope.

An’ Lord knows I reck’n
‘bout two weeks aft’r all th’ com’motion
Peggy don’ had a lil’ white baby!
After all that!
Back in May
she was
a swearin’ an’ cussin’
‘bout how that boy
go’ on don’ sin somethin’ awful on ‘er.
Delta Blue!
she like’t yell
That big nigger boy past yonder creek
gave me ma big belly!
an’ I say Well I’ll be.
‘Bout time she gimmie my dress back.
Bless’r heart. 

An’ that was th’ fastest trial this summa I reck’n
not f’r them beatin’s they put on that poor boy
askin’ for a sip of water.
Or when his momma start cryin’. 
Bless’r heart. 
An’ it smelt like c’yarn in that courthouse too.
Lord knows
‘was th’ hottest damn day.

An’ I’d never been no jur’r ’n
no trial b’fore neither!
Coop, Billy Boy, Pappy
an’ Silas all had.
Judge Balla’d
he got us a swearin’ on Th’ Good Book
an’ with a right fancy grin an’ a wink
he tells us
Now this here y’all’s civic duty.
But I wa’n’t born in no barn!
‘Fore that trial Pappy dun
tell me straight up
That nigger boy did it, Delta Blue.
An’ he gon’ get what he deserve’.
An’ like Pappy’d say
th’ law’s th’ law.

Come t’ think 
not one negro on that jury.
All th’ negros
they’d all show’d up
an’ sat upstairs. 

One time
one start a yellin’
’bout no proof ‘r somethin’.
Just got that poor boy ‘nother beatin’. 
Bless ‘is heart.