"Hollis Brown he lived ...on the outside of town,
Hollis Brown he lived on the outside of town
with his wife and 5 children, in a cabin, broken down.

He looked for work and money, and he walked a ragged mile.
(repeat)
His children are so hungry...they don't know how to smile.

There's no crops in his fields, there's no water in his well,
(repeat)
He spent his last lone dollar...on 7 shotgun shells.

There's 7 breezes blowin'...all around the cabin door.
(repeat)
7 shots ring out...like the ocean's pounding roar.

There's 7 people dead...on a South Dakota farm,
(repeat)
Somewhere in the distance...7 new people born."

(repeat verse 1)