I Kept Her Heart

I married darlin' Jessica when she was just fifteen
When her daddy traded her for a horse he'd never seen
For fifteen years she shared with me my house upon the hill
But she said she never loved me, and she swore she never will

That broke my heart, and I thought I'd die
And I stared that ol' Grim Reaper in the eye
But my heart grew cold and I plotted my revenge
And I promised Him another by-and-by

I said to darlin' Jessica, "I'm gettin' quite a chill
Let's go up on the mountain, fetch a jar down from the still
And bring your woolen coat for there's a storm a-comin' in"
But she knew she wouldn't need it for she wouldn't be back again

She looked at me, she said, "You lie"
And for a moment there, I thought that I might cry
But I fixed my hat and turned my collar to the wind
For I knew this pretty woman had to die

On every branch above us sang the mournful whip-poor-will
As I dragged my darlin' Jessie to the branch there by the mill
And there we bowed our heads and asked for blessings from above
The night my darlin' Jessica was nigh consumed by love

And I kept her heart - for it was mine
But I left her bloody skull there in the pines
And I bake my bread with the flour from the mill
Where the bones of darlin' Jessie were ground fine