Before you know there goes his ghost again It disappears and comes in close again It comes again and each time closer in It goes again and he is gone Before he knew it there was trembling light The tide just so under the moon aligned It comes again and entering his eyes It goes again and he is gone We dug him in the dirt when he died We dug him in the dirt when he died We dug him in the dirt when he died With our gloves soft and white We dug him in the dirt when he died Yes but swearing he'd rise with that tide And come bearing his burden of light Just as soft and as white And my old Mama sighed, "if we measure a life At all, it must not be with time" Before you know it, memory's tanglin' It's folding over, under with the wind It turns again, and each time closer in It goes again and he is gone Before we knew it he had up and went The coming of the crows coincident A moment black and blue and heaven-sent We go again and we are gone We dug him in the dirt when he died We dug him in the dirt when he died We dug him in the dirt when he died With our gloves soft and white We dug him in the dirt when he died As the autumn air vied for our minds And those birds above circled in tight Weathered wings black as white And my good Mama sighed, "if we measure a life At all, it must not be with time"