There's a high-flying bird flying way up in the sky
And I wonder if she looks down as she goes on by
Well, she's flying so freely in the sky

Lord, look at me here
I'm rooted like a tree here
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues

Now, the sun, it comes up and lights up the day
And when he gets tired, Lord, he goes on down his way
To the east and to the west, he meets God every day

Lord, look at me here
I'm rooted like a tree here
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues

Now, I had a woman, Lord, she lived down by the mine
She ain't never seen the sun, oh Lord, never stopped crying
Then one day, my woman up and died
Lord, she up and died now
Oh Lord, she up and died now
And she wanted to die and the only way to fly is die, die, die

There's a high-flying bird flying way up in the sky
And I wonder if she looks down as she goes on by
Well, she's flying so freely in the sky

Lord, look at me here
I'm rooted like a tree here
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues