The Ballad of Otis B. Watson

He was born near Little Rock
High on a dark and dusty mountaintop in 1943
How lucky can you be?

Momma died when he was only five
Daddy got killed tryin' to keep him alive
And he was left alone
He was almost gone

And now he's gone
How many others are left to carry on?

Raised by some neighbors from next door
Thirteen kids a-sleepin' on the floor
In a two room shack
With the wind to his back

Working in the fields in the heat of the day
Dreaming of a place so far away
Where he could be free
And now he's free

And now he's gone
How many others are left to carry on?

Otis B. Watson went off to war
Didn't understand what he was fighting for
But he died like a man
It's hard to understand

Now high on a hill near Little Rock
A tombstone stands where a young boy grew up into a man
A full-grown man

And now he's gone
How many others are left to carry on?

He was born near Little Rock
High on a dark and dusty mountaintop in 1943
How lucky can you be?