They used to say his name out loud
Like a warning drifting through a crowd
Bootsteps echo doors would close
Everywhere that old wind blows
Black coat hanging off his frame
Carried more than just a name
Eyes like steel hands like stone
Back when he stood all alone
Oh Uncle Bill what did it cost
All that fire all that loss
You were lightning on the hill
Now just shadows Uncle Bill
Time don’t ask it just takes its fill
Leaves its mark on Uncle Bill
Now he sits where the daylight fades
Counting ghosts that never stayed
Lines run deep across his face
Every one a time and place
He don’t talk ‘bout the things he’s done
Or the man he used to run
Just stares out past the sinking sun
Like he’s still outrunning someone
Oh Uncle Bill you had your run
Fast as a bullet from a loaded gun
You were thunder wild and still
Now just silence Uncle Bill
Years roll in they always will
Carve their names on Uncle Bill
There’s a story in every scar
Every mile every bar
Some folks burn and fade away
Some just slowly turn to gray
He said “Kid…don’t chase that flame…
It don’t remember your name…”
Oh Uncle Bill out on that hill
Where the world finally stands still
All that glory all that thrill
Don’t mean much to Uncle Bill
But in the dusk I see it still
The man they feared…Uncle Bill
Sun goes down the sky stands wide
He tips his hat to the other side