Dogs at Midnight - Tom Paxton

You might hear dogs at midnight

High up a treeless hill

Workin' their own graveyard shift

And howlin' out their fill

While down below in Coal Town

A woman lies awake

And hears her sleeping husband fight

For every breath he takes

Oh, the rockslide may not get you

The fire might pass you by

When the gas goes up

It might not be your time to die

But every year gets harder

To draw a simple breath

When the black lung gets you

That’s the kiss of death

You might see old men waiting

On the county courthouse green

Tellin' tales at noontime

Of the bitter sights they’ve seen

It makes a postcard picture there

Beside the courthouse door

Unless you know just why they’re waitin'

And what they’re waitin' for

Oh, the rockslide may not get you

The fire might pass you by

When the gas goes up

It might not be your time to die

But every year gets harder

To draw a simple breath

When the black lung gets you

That’s the kiss of death

Oh, the rockslide may not get you

The fire might pass you by

When the gas goes up

It might not be your time to die

But every year gets harder

To draw a simple breath

When the black lung gets you

That’s the kiss of death

When the black lung gets you

That’s the kiss of death