"Song of the 'Resurrection Men'" (not dated)
Words and Music by John Hill Hewitt, 1801-1890

[Source: manuscript photocopy from
John H. Hewitt papers #31 (OP3 8)
Special Collections,
The Robert W. Woodruff Library,
Emory University,
Atlanta, GA  30322-2870]

1. 
We dig and we delve by the quivering light
Of the cold and silent moon,
While no noize disturbs the reign of night,
But the clock that tells it’s noon.
Our mattocks’ sound on the frozen ground
Keeps time to our voices’ tune.
Keeps time, keeps time,
Keeps time to our voices’ tune.
Keeps time, keeps time, keeps time,
Keeps time to our voices’ tune.

2. 
The ghosts of dead people are flitting by,
And they chide us with their gaze,
While each windblast utters the dying cry
Of the flesh of other days.
But we’ll still work on, despite of dawn,
Till the claycold form we raise.
We raise, we raise,
The claycold form we raise.

3. 
The charnal house opens its heavy doors,
And the bones of dead men shake,
But the clatter of teeth and skeleton jaws,
Can never our labor break.
On the new made bed of the silent dead,
We will work toll the morn awake!
We’ll work, we’ll work,
We’ll work ’till the morn awake.

4. 
We know ’tis the tender and comely form
Of a maiden lov’d and young;
And we know that her heart was true and warm
While spells on her proud lips hung;
But little we’ll morn, for those charms were gone
When the dirge of the maid was sung,
Was sung, was sung,
When the dirge of the maid was sung.