Gravedigger
Dave Matthews; Tim Reynolds; Trey Anastasio; Tony Hall; Brady Blade Lyrics

Cyrus Jones 1810 to 1913
Introduces the character of Cyrus Jones, who lived between 1810 and 1913

Made his great grandchildren believe
Cyrus Jones had a great impact on his great grandchildren and made them believe in something

You could live to a hundred and three
Life expectancy is not fixed and one can live up to a very old age

A hundred and three is forever when you're just a little kid
For a child, a hundred and three years is an eternity

So Cyrus Jones lived forever
Cyrus Jones has lived on forever in his great grandchildren's memories

"Gravedigger"
The beginning of the song's chorus and title

When you dig my grave
A request to the gravedigger to dig the singer's grave

Could you make it shallow
A request to the gravedigger to dig a shallow grave

So that I can feel the rain
The reason for the shallow grave is so that the singer can feel the rain after they have passed away

"Gravedigger"
The chorus is repeated

Muriel Stonewall 1903 to 1954
Introduces the character of Muriel Stonewall, who lived between 1903 and 1954

She lost both of her babies in the second great war
Muriel Stonewall lost both of her children during the second world war

Now you should never have to watch
It is not right for a parent to have to watch their child be buried

Your only children lowered in the ground
The pain of watching one's own children being buried is unimaginable

I mean you should never have to bury your own babies
It is not natural for a parent to have to bury their own children

"Gravedigger"
The chorus is repeated

Ring around the rosey
The lyrics to a popular children's nursery rhyme

Pocket full of posey
The lyrics to a popular children's nursery rhyme

Ashes to ashes
The lyrics to a popular children's nursery rhyme and a reference to death

We all fall down
The lyrics to a popular children's nursery rhyme and a reference to death

"Gravedigger"
The chorus is repeated

Little Mikey Carson 67 to 75
Introduces the character of Little Mikey Carson, who lived between 1967 and 1975

He rode his
The lyrics were cut off here in the original post and have not been completed

Bike like the devil until the day he died
Little Mikey was an enthusiastic bike rider and this continued until his death

When he grows up he wants to be Mr. Vertigo on the flying trapeze
Little Mikey had big dreams of becoming a circus performer

1940 to 1992
Little Mikey was born in 1940 and passed away in 1992

"Gravedigger"
The chorus is repeated

Feel the rain
A repetition of a previous line, indicating the importance of feeling the rain in the shallow grave

I can feel the rain
The singer is imagining themselves in the shallow grave, feeling the rain

"Gravedigger"
The chorus is repeated