Historical Folk Lyrics
"Haunted Wood"

Once in olden times a river
Flowed between two mountain walls,
And the place from which it started
Formed a frame for Haunted Falls.

Rugged rocks well they had risen
Far upon either side;
And its powerful base been washed there
By many an incoming tide

On the bosom of this river
Launched many a light canoe,
While the winds were softly sighing
And the summer skies were blue.

On the banks there lived a white man,
Wife, and children, he had two.
While the winds were softly sighing,
And the summer skies were blue

One quiet day the father
To a little town for the mail had gone,
Left his wife and little babies
Just a few quiet hours alone.

Hark! she heard the tramp of horses
And then she turned in fright
Just in time to draw the door bolt
As some Indians rode in sight.

Then she seized and kissed her babies,
Bid them neither speak or cry;
Cast them in a secret closet,
Then she nerved herself to die.

With an angry push, the chieftain
Tore the bolt from off the door,
There he saw this weeping woman
Lying there upon the floor.

"Come, let's drown this weeping woman,"
And he raised his heavy stick.
"Come, let's drown this weeping woman,
Lose no time, I say, be quick."

Then they seized this weeping woman,
Roughly raised her from the floor,
Took her by her dark brown tresses,
Roughly dragged her to the shore.

Then they sang and danced around her,
Heeding not her piteous cries,
Cast her on the rocks below them,
And in agony she died

"Come, let's burn this little dwelling,"
And then they circled 'round,
Then they burned the little babies,
And the dwelling to the ground.

Now this old man wanders lonely
Round the place where the dwelling stood,
And the people of this village
Call this place the Haunted Wood.