Without a Name

Songwriter: Jessie Hall Lyrics: [Verse 1] July the third near Gettysburg I wrote with a shaky hand Said we’d been fightin’ hard all week And I don’t know where I stand Told her not to worry none Said I’d be comin’ home But the truth was in that line of men I felt it comin’ on ⸻ [Verse 2] We moved at dawn through a heavy fog Couldn’t see the line Then the rifles cracked and the smoke rolled in And I lost all track of time Men went down on either side Didn’t hear no call Next thing I knew that Pennsylvania dirt Was catchin’ my fall ⸻ [Chorus] (tight, driving harmony) They left me where I fell When the line moved on Didn’t take the time to learn my name Just another one gone No cross, no word sent home No one to claim Just a coat of gray in a shallow grave Without a name ⸻ [Verse 3] There’s a letter in my coat pocket With your name wrote down Said I’d be back before the leaves Ever hit the ground Guess it’s still there with these bones Buried in this clay All the things I meant to say Just faded away ⸻ [Verse 4] (short, punchy) They laid us in a crooked line Before the daylight came Too many gone to mark ‘em all Too many lost to name ⸻ [Chorus] They left me where I fell When the line moved on Didn’t take the time to learn my name Just another one gone No cross, no word sent home No one to claim Just a coat of gray in a shallow grave Without a name ⸻ [Break] (instrumental — banjo/fiddle) (Rollin’ banjo, crying fiddle) ⸻ [Final Chorus — higher harmony, slower feel] They left me where I fell When the line moved on Didn’t take the time to learn my name Just another one gone No cross, no word sent home No one to claim Just a coat of gray… In a shallow grave… Without a name… ⸻ [Outro] (lonesome tag) Mama… I never made it home Sent from my iPhone