Well, the creek lies swollen before us
And the bridge is a slippery span
The guard with the Springfield rifle
Is barring our freedom plan
For days we have followed the wagons
With all we own on our backs
That long blue winding dragon
With fire and death in its track
But the pontoon bridge is gone
For us these bummers meant freedom
That promise made good at last
That four-score-seven-year promise
Why then do they turn us back?
They have warned us not to follow
Too close behind their guns
That the fighting up front is heavy
When it hasn’t even begun
But the pontoon bridge is gone
Some say the avenging angel
Has turned upon his own
That all this talk of freedom
Is just Sherman’s marching song
And some are pleading Jesus
Asking what have they done wrong
Running up and down that river bank
And flailing their arms in song
But the pontoon bridge is gone
And Sherman’s troops have gone
And some soldiers disobey orders
To help build rafts of logs
But they sink as oft as float
And time is running out
And rumors of Wheeler’s cavalry
To ship us back to the farms
Or shoot us here right where we stand
Helpless and unarmed
But the pontoon bridge is gone
And Sherman’s troops have gone
Well, the camp lies now in embers
Newspapers all been read
And talk of a change in Washington
Of a dream shot through the head
And some say Ebenezer
Is a cursed name for a creek
And some say Jefferson Davis
Is a blessed name to speak
But the pontoon bridge is gone
And Sherman’s troops have gone
And freedom now has gone
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