Frank and the Circuit Preacher

The Circuit Preacher came to town, and the word of God he preached, At the end of his sermon, our souls he did beseech. We all stood shuffling around, like calves stuck in the mire, We’d only come to see the foreman’s sisters, who were singing in the choir. What happened next surprised us, it was the derndest thing we ever saw, There was Frank, on his knees, his hands clasped beneath his jaw. Now Frank, he was a sinner, of a magnitude most high, It was not beneath his dignity, to cheat or steal or lie. But there he was, on his knees, praying with all his might, Begging for forgiveness, for he had seen the light. I’d like to say Frank truly changed, becoming perfect through and through, But there’s no use in saying so, I’d just be lying to you. But he was a bit more tolerant, and every once in awhile, He treated the hands respectful, sometimes, he would even smile. Sure, he had his slip-ups, but most of his time was well spent, And when he was bad, he was sorry, the very definition of the word repent. On the day he passed from this world, he went grinning without a sound. And no one here has ever forgotten, the day the Circuit Preacher came to town.