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The Ballad of Cyrus Love
© Jennifer Mansfield 1999

I left my home in Limestone County
To join the southern rebel cause
I crossed the mighty Mississippi
To fight this bloody Civil War

My uncles fought with General Houston
Our family came from Tennessee
I was a teacher, now I’m a soldier
My kin need think no coward of me

My father’s sheep in Limestone County
They dot the prairie’s wavin’ grass
But now dead soldiers on fields of battle
They dot the hillsides as I pass

My father’s mares in Limestone County
They run and gambol on the plain
Now Texas horses lie all around me
Good steeds we’ll never ride again

A million songbirds thrill the prairie
But minnie balls now sing to me
Songbirds may sing in Limestone County
But cannon roar in Tennessee

Oh, sisters think not I’ve forgotten
Oh, brothers fare you well at war
Oh mother, father, do not count on me
Until you see me at your door

Again I’ll cross the Mississippi
Again I’ll find the home I love
And if this bloody war should kill me
I’ll send the ghost of Cyrus Love

And if this bloody war should kill me
I’ll send the ghost, the ghost of Cyrus Love

© 2004 Jennifer Mansfield Peal. All Rights Reserved.