the caretaker

cash, johnny

i live in the cemetery

'old caretaker' they call me

in the wintertime i rake the leaves

and in the summer i cut the weeds

when a funeral comes

the people cry and pray

they bury their dead

then they all go away

and here i work

and i somehow hide

from a world that rushes

by outside

but each night

when i rest my head

i'm contented

as the peaceful death

but who's gonna cry

when old john dies?

who's gonna cry

when old john dies?

once i was a young man

dashing with the girls

now no one wants an old man

when i lost my handsome curls

but i wanna say

when my time comes

lay me facin'

the rising sun

put me in a corner

where i buried my pup

tell the preacher to pray

then cover me up

don't lay flowers

where my head should be

maybe god would

let some grow for me

and all the little children

that i love like my own

will they be sorry

that old john's gone?

who's gonna cry

when old john dies?

who's gonna cry

when old john dies?