Mary Surratt

from Songs About Lincoln by Adam Tressler

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lyrics

If her son had answered her letter,
If God had answered her prayer,
If she’d learned to lie a bit better,
If she hadn't hid behind that veil.
Maybe she would not be the first woman
To hang from government rope
When the Judge read out that verdict
She was certain that he had misspoke

Everybody knew that Mary was one of the conspirators
An unrepentant widow, a dedicated southerner,
And they made an example of her

If the new President had shown mercy
He said “she kept the nest that hatched the egg”
A victim of the national fury,
She could be standing on her own two legs
Instead she’s gonna be the first lady sentenced to die by the state
If her lawyers had done their duty maybe it wouldn't have gone down this way

Everybody knew that Mary was part of the conspiracy
She said ‘I merely hosted all the players with misdirected loyalty,
Please don’t make an example of me’

Who will look after her daughters?
They are doomed to carry her name
You would do that to a single mother?
It really is a bit profane
It’s not like she pulled the trigger
She let those boys in her house
They made their plan in a whisper
Altogether to the gallows now

And on that final morning they all suffer the consequence
Hang em as a warning to everyone they represent
Make an example of them

credits

from Songs About Lincoln, released October 24, 2023

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Adam Tressler Los Angeles, California

adamtressler.com

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