Me and my brother was down close to the depot when I heard a report of a pistol I hollered I wonder what was that he run out and come back and he said That was a report of a pistol and I thought I's gonna faint when he said Mr Garfield's been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield's been shot down low Lord I knew the President was supposed to be down the depot that day But I just would't let myself believe that he'd been shot And my bother run out there and everybody was all confused And hollerin' a runnin' round and I steeped up to this one lady and I said Ma'm what was it that happened Ma'm and she said Mr Garfield's been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield's been shot down low Well that looked like everybody felt just about as bad as I did And everybody started drift off to home and me and my brother did too Then in a few weeks later I heard that the President was still alive So I told my brother I said hey let's get on the train And go the that Big House up there and see how the President is Let's go up there to where he's laid up hurt and sick we'd see him So we went on up there and that big White House And there was a soldier boy standin' round outside And I sidled up to him and I said to that soldier boy 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 Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man good man That soldier boy said that Miss Lucretia Garfield was always at his bedside In the heat of the day fannin' him when he was hot And he said just that mornin' that he had been in He'd overheard Miss Lucretia and Mr Garfield talkin' And Mr Garfield said Crete honey - he called her Crete He said Crete honey if somethin' worse happens to me He said get yourself a good man And she said now James - she called him James She said James I won't hear to that now cause 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 wife gal Don't pull in single harness all your life good gal Don't pull in single harness all your life So what he said don't pull in single harness all your life Well a little while later we come back around there and things have changed The flag was hangin' halfway up the flagpole and everybody was cryin' And standin' around sad And I walked back up to this soldier boy and I said Soldier boy is he is Mr Garfield and he said yeah he's gone Gonna lay him by that cold lonesome branch down low Mr Garfield's been shot down low Oh Mr Garfield's been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield's been shot down low Have you heard the news Mr Garfield's been shot down shot down shot down Mr Garfield's been shot down low Lord
