Reverend Mr. Black Lyrics - Nick, Bob & John: The Final Concert - Kingston Trio

He rode easy in the saddle, he was tall and lean 

At first you thought nothing but a streak of mean 

Could make a man look so downright strong 

But one look in his eyes and you knowed you was wrong 

He was a mountain of a man 

And I want you to know he could preach hot hell or freezin' snow 

He carried a Bible in a canvas sack 

And folks just called him The Reverend Mr. Black 

He was poor as a beggar 

But he rode like a king 

Sometimes in the evening 

I could hear him sing 

"I got to walk that lonesome valley 

I got to walk it by myself 

Oh, nobody else can walk it for me 

I got to walk it by myself" 

If ever I could have thought that this man in black 

Was soft and had any yellow up his back 

I gave that notion up the day 

A lumberjack came in and it wasn't to pray 

Yeah, he kicked open the meeting house door 

And he cussed everybody up and down the floor 

And then when things got quiet in the place 

He walked up and cussed in the preacher's face 

He hit that Reverend like a kick of a mule 

And to my way of thinkin' it took a pure fool 

To turn the other cheek to that lumberjack 

But that's what he did, The Reverend Mr. Black 

He stood like a rock, a man among men 

Then he let that lumberjack hit him again 

And then with a voice as kind as could be 

He cut him down like a big oak tree when he said 

"You've got to walk that lonesome valley 

You've got to walk it by yourself 

Oh, nobody else can walk it for you 

You've got to walk it by yourself" 

It's been many years since we had to part 

And I guess I learned his ways by heart 

I can still hear his sermons ring 

Down in the valley where he used to sing 

I followed him, "Yes, sir", and I don't regret it 

Hope that I'll always be a credit to his memory 

'Cause I want you to understand 

The Reverend Mr. Black was my old man 

You've got to walk that lonesome valley 

You've got to walk it by yourself 

Oh, nobody else can walk it for you 

You've got to walk it by yourself 

You've got to walk that lonesome valley 

You've got to walk it by yourself 

Oh, nobody else can walk it for you 

You've got to walk it by yourself