No Time To Cry

Iris DeMent

My father died a year ago today,

The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away

There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood

With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good



Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground

And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town

Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry



I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see

The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me

And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast

'Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not wanna pass

And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone

And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home

I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry



I can still remember when I was a girl

But so many things have changed so much here in my world

I remember sitting on the front porch when an ambulance went by

And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry



But now I'm walking and I'm talking doing just what I'm supposed to do

Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued

I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry



I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see

The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me

And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast

'Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not wanna pass

And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone

And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home

I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry



Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news

There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose

The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today

And there's bombs a-flying and people dying not so far away

I'