About the time that Tombstone Arizona was at its rip roaring wild wooliest President James Garfield was shot in broad daylight at a railway depot back east Someone was heard to remark later I wonder if they'll blame that on Jesse James too Well if they did blame it on Jesse James they didn't for very long Because they soon learned that it was Charlie Guiteau That shot down President Garfield
Mr Garfield been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield been shot down low Me and my brother was down close to the depot when I heard the report of a pistol My brother run out and come back in all excited And I said what was it and he said it was the report of a pistol and then he said Mr Garfield been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield been shot down low Lord I knew the President was supposed to be at the depot that day And we just would't believe that he's shot But we'd run over there and there was so many folks around That we couldn't see him but some lady was standin' there cryin' And I said m'am what was it that happened m'am and she said Mr Garfield been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield been shot down low Well everybody drifted off toward home finally And they looked like they felt about as bad as I did But in a few weeks I heard that the President was still alive And I told my brother I said let's get on that train and go to where he's laid up hurt Well when we got to his big house up there I asked the fellow I said who was it that did it who was it that shoot the President And he said it was Charlie Guiteau that shoot Mr Garfield and I said Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man good man Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man low I heard some fellow there that had been in the house to see the President And I sidled up him to listen to what he was tellin' and he said Mrs Lucretia Garfield was always at his side In the heat of the day fannin' him when he was hot He said that just that day the President said to Mrs Lucretia He said Crete honey (he called her Crete) Said if somethin' worse happens to me after awhile you get yourself a good man And Mrs Lucretia said James (she called him James) She said I won't hear to that now she said I love you too much but he said You'll make some good man a good wife good wife You'll make some man a good good good wife (Don't pull in single harness all your life good gal Don't pull in single harness all your life) That's what he said don't pull in single harness all your life Well a few days later I come back to where the President was restin' And it seems everybody was cryin' The flag was hangin' halfway up to the flagpole in front of the house And everybody looked so sad and I asked a soldier boy there And I said is is is Mr Garfield and he said yeah he's gone Gonna lay him in that cold lonesome ground down low Gonna lay him in that cold lonesome ground Well they laid the President by that long cold branch Mr Garfield's been laid down low Mr Garfield has been shot dow Mr Garfield's been shot (Mr Garfield been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield been shot down low)
