A trip

[Verse 1]
When I was a young boy,
I took a trip on down to hell.
Most folks that hear me say it
Think it’s just a tale I tell.
But when I was layin’
On that white‑sheet bed,
I heard that surgeon holler,
“Make a note — time of death.”

[Verse 2]
Well, the Devil, he was waitin’
Down by them black iron gates.
Said, “Wasn’t expectin’ you
’Til a much later date.
There’s a debt that you owe,
And a debt you will pay —
Back to the livin’, boy,
You’ll return here someday.”

[chorus]

I crossed that dark river,
Met the keeper of flame.
He said I’d be back
With a different name.
Now the shadows all follow
Every breath that I take —
When the final night falls,
I’ll be standin’ in his place

[Verse 3]
“They keep the body,
And I’ll claim the soul.
I’m sendin’ you back,
But you ain’t leavin’ whole.”
I laughed at the beast,
And I smiled with a grin —
“I been damned since birth,
Ain’t no stranger to sin.”

[chorus]

I crossed that dark river,
Met the keeper of flame.
He said I’d be back
With a different name.
Now the shadows all follow
Every breath that I take —
When the final night falls,
I’ll be standin’ in his place

[Verse 4]
I didn’t kneel at your throne.
You sent me back through the fire
With your mark carved in my bones.
Now I walk in the daylight,
But the shadows still know my name —
When my time comes ’round again,
I’ll return to stake my claim.

[chorus]
I crossed that dark river,
Met the keeper of flame.
He said I’d be back
With a different name.
Now the shadows all follow
Every breath that I take —
When the final night falls,
I’ll be standin’ in his place

Dark-folk , storyteller style , Folk, Dark, ,Male Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Guitar. Arpeggio chords ,Deep male southern-American vocal