Undertaker
The Peculiar Pretzelmen Lyrics

Undertaker, undertaker, who you burying today?
Who has passed away and is being laid to rest today?

What little soul done left us looking for some better place?
Who has passed away and is seeking a peaceful afterlife?

When they laid them in the ground what's the last thing they did say?
What were their final words, if any?

Not exactly spoken but just whispered 'cross the grave
Perhaps there was a final message left unsaid.

Was it a cry of broken sorrow? A sigh of great relief?
What emotion was conveyed in their final moments?

Or just the sound that fatal weapon made when pushed back in its sheath?
Perhaps there was a violent end, with the sound of a weapon.

Undertaker, undertaker, what name upon that tombstone has you shaken in this way?
Who was buried and why does it affect the undertaker so much?

Esmeralda Tempranillo - she was the jewel of this whole town
The woman buried was highly regarded by the community.

Her smile could stop a thunderstorm for several miles around
Her beauty and charm were captivating.

Undertaker, undertaker, I ain't one for the rumor mill
The undertaker doesn't want to gossip, but has heard some information.

But I heard she had a cheating heart and that heart it got her killed
The woman was unfaithful and it may have led to her murder.

She was married to the governor's son, as rich as he was mean
The woman was married to a wealthy but cruel man.

And though the bells tolled out for her today he's nowhere to be seen
The husband did not attend the funeral.

Undertaker, undertaker, what was that pretty girl's name?
The undertaker was seen with a mysterious woman recently.

The one I saw you with just weeks ago, she was sweet as sugarcane
The woman was charming and perhaps a little too tempting.

Undertaker, undertaker, just how do you suspect
The undertaker is beginning to wonder how the woman died.

A pretty girl like Esmeralda should end in such distress?
The undertaker is questioning why a beautiful woman met such a violent fate.

Her husband was a jealous man, took to drunken rage
The husband had a temper and was prone to drinking.

The whole town knew to turn around when he would walk their way
The husband had a reputation for being dangerous.

I heard he saw her lover's note written on a hymnal page
The husband may have found out about the affair through a note.

Found out she had gone to church for more than just to pray
The husband discovered that the woman was not just attending church for religious reasons.

And as she bled to death he swore he'd have revenge
The husband may have killed the woman in a fit of rage.

But she took with her her lover's name when from this world she went
The woman's secret lover may have died with her.

Undertaker, undertaker, who you carrying them flowers for?
Who is the undertaker bringing flowers to?

Are they for that pretty girl that I don't see you with no more?
Did the woman the undertaker was seen with meet the same fate?

What ever happened, did you hold her hand too tight?
Did the undertaker have a part in the woman's disappearance?

Sit a bit too close in that cool dark summer night?
Did the undertaker cross a line with the woman?

I guess you're just too busy putting bones down in the ground
The undertaker is preoccupied with his work.

To let yourself get caught out there dancing around
The undertaker is not one for frivolous activities or relationships.

With pretty girls on moonlit nights, who never say their name
The undertaker has been with mysterious women before.

Who disappear with fearful eyes when the hour gets too late
These women may be in danger or have something to hide.

Undertaker, undertaker, nobody thinks it's right
No one believes that the husband should have been absolved of his guilt.

The husband was caught that very night still carrying the knife
The husband was found with incriminating evidence.

But the constable and council absolved him of all guilt
Despite the evidence, the husband was not prosecuted.

Right there in the courthouse that his father's money built
The husband's wealth and connections may have played a role in his acquittal.

Undertaker, undertaker, think we'll ever know the man
Will we ever find out who the woman's secret lover was?

That set Esmeralda's heart so free and proved to be her end?
The lover may have been the cause of the woman's death.

Undertaker, undertaker, who harbors the most blame?
Who is responsible for the woman's death?

The one who killed to keep her or the one that lured her away?
Is the husband or the secret lover to blame for the woman's fate?

Spirits don't tend to slumber gently when tucked in before their time
Those who die violently may not rest easily in the afterlife.

There's no ghost that loves a haunting more than one born in violent crime
The ghost of a victim of violent crime may seek justice or revenge.

Maybe she'll be back one day; she'll point and she will stare
The woman's ghost may seek to reveal the truth about her death.

Disappearing in the shadows as she weaves across the square
The ghost may be elusive and difficult to pin down.

Disappearing in the shadows, disappearing in the shadows
The ghost may be difficult to see or track down.

Disappearing in the shadows as she weaves across the square
The ghost may be trying to communicate something to the living.