| The village square stands quiet
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| The curfew still enforced
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| The streets are even clear of dogs and whores
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| Like some evil bird of prey
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| The scaffold spreads its wings
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| The people build their fires and bolt their doors
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| The mayor is giving dinner to the officers' wives
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| His eldest son is learning how to fawn
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| The barrack block is hushed and tense
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| The soldiers drawing lots
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| Who will be the hangman in the dawn?
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| The lot falls on a young man
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| Who has served for but a year
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| His home is in the village close nearby
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| He shivers at the thought of what
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| He’s forced to do next day
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| He wonders who it is, who has to die?
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| And the full moon casts a cold light
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| On the gloomy prison walls
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| The papist walks his cell, he cannot sleep
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| He hears the waiting gallows creaking
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| Just beyond that door
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| He prays for he has no more tears to weep
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| The day begins to break
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| A muffled drums begins to sound
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| A crowd begins to gather in the square
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| The presence of the hangman in his terrifying mask
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| Weighs heavy on the minds of all those there
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| The colonel reads the sentence
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| Which the papist knows by heart
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| He has failed to show allegiance to the King
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| His crime is thus with God himself
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| And in His name he must hang
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| The papist, head held high, says not a thing
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| The jailer binds his hands
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| And puts his blindfold to his eyes
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| He leads him through the door before the crowd
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| The hangman sees his victim
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| And the blood drains from his face
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| He sees his younger brother standing proud
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| The hangman tries to protest
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| But is ordered to proceed
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| His trembling hands begin to take the strain
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| His eyes are blind with streaming tears
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| And he cries for all to hear
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| Forgive me, God, we hang him in Thy name
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| Forgive me, God, we hang him in Thy name
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| Forgive me, God, we hang him in Thy name
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| Oh, please forgive me, God, we hang him in Thy name
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| Forgive me, God, we hang him in Thy name |