Clementine

Third mining explosion
In two years
And what's done about it?

Harder helmets
More rations
In case you're stuck
And a Bible to read
To keep your soul afloat
Until they figure
How to get you out
Presuming they do figure

Something tells me this time
I'm going to get both Testaments read
Before I see daylight again

Smell that?

That's brine

The other guys are going crazy
Saying something's gonna blow
But I know brine when I smell it

The last time I smelt it
I was pushing back water
Out of my eyes
Trying to save my girl

And every couple of nights
I'll be sleeping
And I'll wake up
Covered in lake water
With her standing at the foot of my bed
Soaked to the bone
And looking sad

Oh, my darlin'
What was I to do?

Drown with you?

I would have to
If the boys hadn't pulled me out

Two days later
Your father went in the same way
But when we took him out
He didn't look as preserved
As you did

Is that why you haunt me?

Because I didn't go back in
Like he did?

You weren't paying attention, my love

There's all sorts of ways
To drown yourself

A wise man once said
People drown you
They hold onto you
And drag you down
Until you blow out
The last of your bubbles

I say you bury yourself
That way
The air goes out slower

So I come down here
And the first time the mine collapses
I see you, darlin'

See you standing
Underneath the falling rocks
And I think to myself--

Oh good, she's come to get me

A day later they pull me out
With a broken arm
And your picture
Still sitting pretty
In my pocket

The next time things cave in
You're even closer to me

Smiling and holding onto to the bottom of your dress
Dancing to the music
Of the world crashing down
All around you

It was a week before they got me out that time
And when they did
Your picture was ripped down the middle
And I thought that was a bad sign

Now here I am

This time I felt you whisper in my ear, baby
This time I felt your hand slip around my back
And slide right over my heart

Then a squeeze
And another squeeze
And that smell

The smell of brine

That's the last thing I remember

Now it's dark
The lanterns burning out
The men falling asleep
One by one

The air moves in waves
And every time you lift a hand
Or your head
It feels like you're pushing against something

Like you're at the bottom of a lake
Trying to swim to surface

Is this what you wanted, darlin'?

For me to feel what you felt
Because I couldn't...

Because I didn't get there in time?

Is this how you want me to drown?

Well, all right, darlin'

We'll do it your way

Just tell me when
And I'll close my eyes, all right?

Just come see me one last time
Before the dark fills up my lungs
And I'll take out that ripped picture of you
From my pocket
And say I'm sorry
One more time