This one never get old, unfortunately: Chanted Sermon by Rev. Rubin Lacy Bakersfield, California - 1967 Adapted by Dahlov Ipcar © 1974 Further adapted by Charlie Ipcar, 1993 The Four Horsemen They tell me in the morning, When the horses come out the door, They'll be standing there a-waiting, To see the generals they been fighting for. First come a rider on a red horse, His armor shining in the sun, A flaming sword in his hand, His helmet a Gatling-gun – The face of War. Under his horse's hoofs, The dead and dying, Trampled in the sand, Bodies torn by grenades, Shattered by shrapnel, Rot in no man’s land – But with visions of victory in their eyes. Refrain: And I hear a voice a-crying, “Is that the general we been fighting for?” And I hear a voice answer, “Yes, that's the general you been fighting for.” Next come a rider on a black horse, His body all covered with sores, Reeking of gangrene, From his nose and ears blood pours – The face of Pestilence. Under his horse's hoofs, The sick and the dying, People too weak to crawl, Bodies wracked with pain, Vomiting black blood, For mercy they do call – The madness of fever in their eyes. Refrain: Then, out come a rider on a white horse, His body all covered with flies, Thin and gaunt and haggard, Rotting teeth and bloodshot eyes – The face of Famine. Under his horse's hoofs, Children with swollen bellies, Pipestem arms and legs; Across the blackened fields, Mothers with outstretched hands, For bread and water beg – The madness of starvation in their eyes. Refrain: At last, come a rider on a pale horse, His body but a rack of bone, Slashing a scythe left and right, Eyes like balls of fire in a head of stone – The face of Death. And under his horse's hoofs, Desolation and destruction, On the face of the earth; Gravestones and dry bones crackling, Black ashes swept up in the wind, None left to mourn or curse – The madness of another great victory. Refrain: And I hear a voice a-crying, “Is that the general we been fighting for?” And I hear another voice answer, “Yes, that's the general you been fighting for.” “Oh, Lord, let me go! I can't make war no more; Oh, Lord, let me go home in peace! I seen the generals we been fighting for.”
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