There's a rise above the river   Where the hangman's tree hugs the rim   A brace of crows crowd the bank   Like mourners on their way to the Mercy bridge      A whistle blows and a freight rolls by   Pallbearers rest their load   It all seems clear, life's gone from here   As he is lowered in the hole      Oh Mary, can't you see   It was not meant to be?   He was born to dangle   Beneath the hanging tree      Mary seems uncertain now   As she follows him to his rest   She lost her one true love and he lost her   Straight bullet to the chest      Life of crime is a long-short road   Every moment filled with dread   And never leaves much room for love   In the shadows of its dead      Oh Mary, can't you see   It was not meant to be?   He was born to dangle   Beneath the hanging tree      Mary climbs the Mercy bridge   Over the waters dark and cold   She'll wash away all her tears   In the waters healing flow      Oh Mary, can't you see   It was not meant to be?   He was born to dangle   Beneath the hanging tree      Oh Mary, can't you see   It was not meant to be?   He was born to dangle   Beneath the hanging tree      Oh Mary, can't you see   It was not meant to be?   He was born to dangle   Beneath the hanging tree