you know the year was 1900 15 years ago death came howling on the ocean death calls you gotta go galveston had a sea wall to keep the water down and a high tide from the ocean spread the water over the town wasn t that a mighty storm wasn t that a mighty storm wasn t that a mighty storm it blew the people all away you know the trumpets gave them warning you d better leave this place now no one thought of leaving til death stared them in the face and the trains they all were loaded the people were all leaving town the trestles gave way to the water and the trains they went on down now chorus rain it was a fallin thunder began to roll lightning flashed like hellfire the wind began to blow and the seas began to rollin and the ships they could not stand and i heard a captain crying good god save a drownin man death your hands are clammy you got them on my knee you come and took my mother won t you come back for me death you cruel master when the wind began to blow rode in on a team of horses cried oh death won t you let me go chorus x2