Wow! I'd forgotten this song, though it used to haunt me when I heard it years ago. I've never learned it, though I may do so, now that I'm reminded of it.

The words are good, but the melody is what kills. The change from the melody of the verses, where the words are describing Casey's "Last Ride" and the chorus, where the melody goes from despair to a maybe-forlorn hope as the words do the same, now that's songwriting. A lot of modern songwriters can manage striking lyrics, and a few can provide a melody that grabs you, but this one has not one, but two melodies, with lyrics matching so perfectly that you just feel compelled to "feel" it.

I get the same feeling with only a few other songs -- "Rose of Allendale" comes to mind -- where the "lift" in the chorus just hooks me and won't let go. So many modern songs (especially country-music numbers) try for the "hook," but this is an example of a master of the hook.

Well done.

Bob