You shot the bird from my tree And you nailed him to the gate That kept in souls of the soldiers You bedded, who you fed and who you saved So I asked them all for a knife To free the wings of this bird That bore the brawn of the guilt you threw me On my hand you left in the world And it's hard to take And it's hard And it's hard, too hard, for me, for me It's too hard for me to take The captain he bought me gun And flirted my mind with his rage He said I'm too young to die so I'll run He said a man shouldn't hide in his grave You will look at me in the eye Like you did when I was still true I wouldn't fire a bullet for him But I'd fire a hundred for you And it's hard to take And it's hard And it's hard, too hard for me, for me It's too hard for me to take I don't know the depths of the sea Like I don't know the depths that I'll go Since the burden has been passed onto me Maybe someday you'll give up and go The dog it barks in the night Scaring away any peace that's around Your voice was a siren to them But to me you're just like that hound And it's hard to take And it's hard And it's hard, too hard, for me, for me It's too hard for me to take Shoot them all with your blood Bury my heart in the lake It needs to rest for awhile Just like you said I'm hard to take So tie up the bows on your dress And I'll tie up the lace on my shoes Light up the candle you're holding And I'll light both ends of this fuse Now don't you pity a man with his face I can work or weep with this hammer For people always took you for granted Maybe it was just your way with that (?)stammer(?) And it's hard to take And it's hard And it's hard, too hard, for me, for me It's too hard for me to take And it's hard, too hard, for me, for me It's too hard for me to take