He was just one of the guys If little mountain towns don’t ask no questions
Then nobody’s tellin’ no lies He was waitin’ after work for the loggin crew Seems he always wore a chambray shirt Fresh bandaid on his forehead Said the skin cancer didn’t hurt. With a Butch-wax flat-top an’ big ol’ shoes On a barstool, you could find The little man in a clean baggy shirt Drinkin’ beer and passin’ time.
This is the story of Little Tommy Mortensen He was just one of the guys If little mountain towns don’ ask no questions Then nobody’s tellin’ no lies
Nobody knew or cared about Where he live or did before He made a few bucks cleanin’ up the bar And spent ‘em at the store. He lived alon with a little dog He didn’t like to go to town He wouldn’t see no doctor When he was sick and goin’ down
In a cabin in the middle of a long cold winter By the river at the Little North Fork Bleeding ulcers from beer and aspirin Little Tommy drank no more.
Green Dan called the sheriff and coronor Said, “Tommy Mortensen’s dead!” When they came and examined the body This is what the sheriff said:
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“This person’s a female!” “Say what?” “That’s right!” “Tommy Mortensen was a woman!”
This is the story of Little Tommy Mortensen He was just one of the guys If little mountain towns don’ ask no questions Then nobody’s tellin’ no lies
Guess you want to hear the rest of the story Well now, that’s fair enough Everybody likes a little gossip But this was just too much! Tommy would of liked to have died a man Only a handful knew the truth But in the paper, the obituary
Read the news, he was Mary Ruth! She once worked for the Forest Service Back when women shoulda stayed at home Scape-goated and accused of arson She was shamed and all alone. She changed her name when she left Sonora Start a new life in Sis-ki-you All the years that we all knew him We never had a clue.
This is the story of Little Tommy Mortensen He was just one of the guys If little mountain towns don’ ask no questions Then nobody’s tellin’ no lies
Cedar
Seeger, June 2003
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