Charlie & Johnny Reb Lyrics - Ricky Skaggs

Looking back at a page in time 

The year was 1859 

We ran deep in the souther pines 

'Neath that Alabama Clay 

Charlie and Johnny were brothers in blood 

Nothing stronger than family love 

The cotton was short and times were tough 

So they went through seperate ways 

Charlie moved north to work in corn 

But Johnny he stayed south 

And after being apart a couple of years 

Civil war broke out 

Well both of the brothers they were volunteers 

After fighting each other for all those years 

But if it came to fighting they had no fears 

They had seen their share of fists 

Then they got the news how it would be 

The brothers had agreed to disagree 

Is like taking an axe to the family tree 

Never dreamed it would come to this 

Charlie put on the union blue 

And Johnny the rebel grey 

But each one pray his brother'd live 

The fight another day 

As dawn was breaking on the battle field 

Through the canon smoke and the foggy hills 

A shot rang out from the cold blue steele 

Charlie held in his shakin' hands 

And after the fight while countin' the cost 

There was more that day than a battle lost 

When under a tree line in the moss 

Charlie came upon a young man 

And as he wiped the mud and blood away 

It took more than his breath 

'Cause the soldier in his sights that day 

Was his brother Johnny Reb