I had mentioned that I was working on a project that I hoped to have finished this season, and I’m excited that I have completed my project! 🎃

I had really wanted to do a cover of “The Hearse Song” for Halloween! ☠️

To avoid having my video taken down on YouTube due to copyright infringement, I had to make sure that I did a cover of the public domain version of “The Hearse Song.”

After doing some research, I found that I could do a cover of the song in Carl Sandburg‘s book The American Songbag.

I was VERY excited to find that the library system had this book! 😮 I immediately reserved it and couldn’t wait to get it!

When I received a notification that the book had been delivered to my local library, I eagerly went to the library to pick up the book. 😃

I found a very, very old book waiting for me. 😊

It had come from Prairie du Sac. Thank you, public library system! 💙

When I found “The Hearse Song” in the book, I saw that it featured a piano melody but no guitar chords. My project was figuring out what chords would work for my cover of “The Hearse Song.” 😃

I wanted to use chords that sounded dark and creepy. 👻

There were two sets of lyrics for the song. The version from the book that I decided to cover is by James Stevens, Irma H. Thrane, and W.W. Woodbridge of Washington.

Check it out:

Lyrics:

The old Grey Hearse goes rolling by,
You don’t know whether to laugh or cry;
For you know some day it’ll get you too,
And the hearse’s next load may consist of—you.

They’ll take you out and they’ll lower you down,
While men with shovels stand all a-round;
They’ll throw in dirt and they’ll throw in rocks,
And they won’t give a dam-m-m if they break the box.

The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out,
They crawl all over your chin and mouth,
They invite their friends and their friends’ friends too,
And you look like hell when they’re—through—with you.

I had a lot of fun learning this song and covering it!

I hope this song helps you get in the Halloween spirit! 🦇

May you be well! 🧡