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Water in the Well
Water in the Well
Jefferson Berry
They were the ghosts of a beaten rebel army
And they came into town with a plan
Seems the trains hadn’t come to Wayne County
So the town’s people all took a stand
And put up their money In the Bank of Ocobock
It was the summer of ’71
It was a Summer of Railroad Stock
And there was Water in the Well
Even without weeks of rain
A railroad map would tell
Of money in the Bank
Money for Wayne County
Money for Jessie James
There’s Water in the Well
You know it’s why they came.
The little town of Corydon Iowa
Not far from the Missouri line
Henry Clay Dean had ‘em spellbound
Talking ‘bout these Modern Times
They were all inside The Methodist Church
While clear cross town
Jessie was at his worse
And there’s Water in the Well
From the rains in May
On their way to Hell
Frank and Jessie James
Were riding with Cole Younger
For the Money and the Fame
There’s Water in the Well
You know it’s why they came.
Clell Miller stood outside with the horses
In the comfort of his alibi
Inside they tied up old Oscar Ocobock
Put a beating on him as he lied
Said he didn’t know bout no money
Or the keys to the safe
But the boys were in a hurry
No, the boys weren’t gonna wait
There was Water in the Well
On the road just out of town
Right behind a hill,
From a spring beneath the ground
Not enough for the horses,
Just enough for the pain
There’s Water in the Well
You know it’s why they came.
Amos Sheets was just nine years old
And barefoot on that summer’s day
He saw the men on their hosrses
They were grinning like you do on payday
Jesse took a silver dollar
Threw it athe kid
Said, “Get on to the church, boy.
Tell ‘em what we did.”
There’s Water in the Well
It was covered with the cotton wood
Had no brackish smell
Always tasted good
On the wood they had a pump rig
On the Rig the lock was grey
There’s Water in the Well
You know it’s why they came.
Of the two brothers, you know
Frank was the mean one
In the War he set Lawrence ablaze
That afternoon he stole
the Stevens’ prized mare
That night he shot that horse in the face
But it was just as luck would have it
A dozen roberies, not one failed
Ya, Frank was a heartless bastard
Who’d never do a stretch in jail
You know there’s Water in the Well
Each and Every time
The James Gang hit the till
And went out on a ride.
Running from the hangman
Had to make their getaway
There’s Water in the Well
You know it’s why they came.
Eliza Graham married J.R. Smith
Had a farm just outside the next town
They woke Early that morning in Lamoni
To a villainous steel pounding sound
It was the men JR had turned down
Earlier that Night
While J.R. had a shot gun,2
He was little to smart to fight
And there was Water in the Well
Out on the Smith’s Farm
The moon was rising still
It was peaking over the Barn
The boys wanted some water
More than their share
Frank pistol-whipped Mr. Smith
And left him bleeding there.
The Pinkertons, they caught Clell Miller
But couldn’t make the Corydon Charges stick
Cole got 20 to life for a robbery
That killed Miller in ‘76
Jessie took a friends bullet
In the back of his head
While JR and his Eliza
Lived Long and they lived blessed
And there’s Water in the Well