When I was a young man I used to dress so neat
Many hearts beat faster as I walked down the street
Then as I grew older the women had their fill
'Till the only heart that beat was mine as I came down the hill
Walking a valley that never saw the sun
Step by the stones where the icy waters run
Stand in a church where the village choir once sang
And run along the pathway where the dead man used to hang
You take the road, the road you took before
One by the rocks where the river leaves the moor
I'll take the road where the hill and forest meet
Where the fallen flowers hide the stones that wait to trip your feet
Walking a valley that never saw the sun
Step by the stones where the icy waters run
Stand in a church where the village choir once sang
And run along the pathway where the dead man used to hang
The trees of the forest, the rocks all around
Saw me swing my haversack as I raced gaily down
The badger in the bushes, the fox in his lair
Heard me give a woop and cry as I fell through the air
Walking a valley that never saw the sun
Step by the stones where the icy waters run
Stand in a church where the village choir once sang
And run along the pathway where the dead man used to hang
Waking in the forest, beneath the spreading pine
I saw my body hanging like a shirt upon a line
The vines crept up my fingers where they had come to rest
And in my open mouth the wild beasts came to build their nest
Walking a valley that never saw the sun
Step by the stones where the icy waters run
Stand in a church where the village choir once sang
And run along the pathway where the dead man used to hang
Many ages later the village people came
Took me from my resting place and tied up my remains
In an old sheet blanket they bore me down t'hill
My corpse is in a far-off grave but I remain here still
Walking a valley that never saw the sun
Step by the stones where the icy waters run
Stand in a church where the village choir once sang
And run along the pathway where the dead man used to hang
