The Smoky Mt. Lament
The Brandos Lyrics
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Lord, a poor mountain boy
Was buried today
Buried today
So young
Just a poor woman's son
They carried away
One fight
For the rest of my life
I'll live with the pain
Live with the pain
One child
Sacrificed to a cause
That I can't explain
No I can't explain
The Smoky Mountain rain
Comin' down
Feels so cold
Our blood is in the fields
My boy is here no more
Oh Lord
Don't cry
I’ll be home by and by
I heard him say
He did say
So sure
That the dangers in store
Were all just a game
All just a game
I heard
In his last dyin’ words
He called out my name
Called my name
Oh Lord
Can't your mercy afford
A poor boy be saved
One boy be saved
The Brandos's song The Smoky Mt. Lament is a beautiful ballad that speaks of a mother's grief as she buries her son who was a victim of war. The song is set in the Smoky Mountains and the singer laments the loss of a young boy who was just a victim of circumstance. The lyrics start by addressing the Lord and mentioning that a mountain boy was buried today. The singer speaks about the pain that the boy's mother would be going through and how far he has been carried away. The boy was just a poor woman's son and was too young to die. The singer then talks about how he will live with the pain for the rest of his life as one child was sacrificed to a cause that he cannot explain.
The chorus of the song sings praises to the Smoky Mountain rain and depicts how cold it feels. The singer talks about how their blood is in the fields and how they have lost their boy. The second verse talks about the boy's last moments of life and how he was sure that the dangers were just a game. He was so confident that he would survive that he assured his mother that he would be home soon. In his last moments, he called out his mother's name, further emphasizing the grief of the loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Lord
A prayer to God
Lord, a poor mountain boy
A boy from a poor mountainous region
Was buried today
Was buried on the day the song refers to
Buried today
Emphasis on the recent burial
So young
The boy was very young
Just a poor woman's son
The boy's mother was poor
They carried away
The boy's body was taken away for burial
So far away
The boy was buried far from home
One fight
One battle, one conflict
For the rest of my life
For the duration of the artist's life
I'll live with the pain
The singer will have to live with the emotional pain caused by the boy's death
Live with the pain
Emphasis on the weight of the pain to be carried
One child
A single child
Sacrificed to a cause
The boy lost his life for a particular reason or purpose
That I can't explain
The singer doesn't understand or cannot justify the reason for the boy's death
No I can't explain
Emphasis on the artist's inability to comprehend the reason for the boy's death
The Smoky Mountain rain
Rain falling in the Smoky Mountains
Comin' down
Falling from the sky
Feels so cold
The rain is cold or the singer's mood has become sad
Our blood is in the fields
The artist and/or the community are suffering
My boy is here no more
The boy has died and will not come back
Don't cry
A call for someone not to cry or be sad
I’ll be home by and by
The singer promises to come back home soon
I heard him say
The artist recalls a conversation with the dead boy
He did say
Confirmation of what the boy said earlier
So sure
The boy was confident or certain
That the dangers in store
Possible threats that had been anticipated
Were all just a game
The boy may have seen the possible threats as something to be taken lightly
All just a game
Emphasis on how the boy perceived the dangers to come
I heard
The singer heard something specific
In his last dyin’ words
The boy's final statement before he passed away
He called out my name
The boy specifically addressed the artist in his final moment
Called my name
Emphasis on the boy's final action
Can't your mercy afford
A request for mercy from God
A poor boy be saved
A poor boy be spared from harm
One boy be saved
Request for salvation for a specific boy
Contributed by Bailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.