Ghosts of Antietam

5. Ghosts of Antietam (4:30)

Walking down the sunken road, I saw the bodies of the dead
Lined up like so many planks of wood, head to toe, and toe to head
They buried the Bluecoats where they fell, they let the Rebels rot
Bleaching bones in summer sun, gone but not forgot

Through cornfields dense with smoke and fear, I heard the Rebel Yell
Saw Yanks and Southern Boys alike in heaps together where they fell
Are we not one country? Not yet one human race?
Must we continue to dishonor the spirit of this place?

And the ghosts of Antietam will rise
And their blood fill the sunsetting skies
The ghosts of Antietam, we disgrace and cheat them
Each time that we swallow the lies
The ghosts of Antietam still cry
For us

His hand reached up as I walked by, his eyes were full of pain
He was not thinking of glory, but of regret and shame
Leaving loved ones all alone, he gave his life away
For a cause yet to be realized even to this very day

The sun sets on Antietam, it’s another day come and gone
The creek is still washing away the blood that sunk into the stone
And yet, the flowers bloom, nourished by the flesh and bone
Of all our boys together now, finally as one