I Won’t Be Gone Long, Kathleen

— Brian W. Flynn

I’ve been thinkin’ for a while Kathleen it’s gettin’ cold,
Today they laid off Hagerty and the mortar’s hard to mold.
And I hear they’re needin’ men down in New Orleans this year,
I won’t be gone long, Kathleen.

Sometimes Kathleen I wish I’d never seen a trowel,
And I curse this trade I’ve taken as each year the wind blows cold.
But we must send the boys to college to have things we’ve never known,
I won’t be gone long, Kathleen.

 Sometimes I get to thinkin’ while I’m riding on that train,
How cold the winds gets blowin’ but how warm your love remains.
But through the cloudy window I can see the northbound rail,
I won’t be gone long, Kathleen.

So tie your hair in ribbons and let me see you smile,
I know it’s never easy but I’ll just be gone awhile.
Try to think of flowers and mornings in the spring,
I won’t be gone long, Kathleen.
Try to think of flowers and mornings in the spring,
I won’t be gone long, Kathleen.