Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)

In the garden district
 Where the plants grow strong and tall
 Behind the bush there lurks a girl
 Who makes them strong and tall
 The villagers call her
 Quicklime girl behind her back
 Quicklime girl behind the bush
 Quicklime girl
 She's the mistress of the salmon salt
 Quicklime girl
 Quicklime girl
 Quicklime girl
 In the fall when plants return
 By harvest time she knows the score
 Ripe and ready to the eye
 Yet rotten somehow to the core
 And they call her
 Quicklime girl behind her back
 Quicklime girl behind the bush
 Quicklime girl
 She's the mistress of the salmon salt
 Quicklime girl
 Quicklime girl
 Quicklime girl
 A harvest of life a harvest of death
 One body of life one body of death
 And when you've gone and choked to death
 With laughter and a little step
 I'll prepare the quicklime, friend
 For your ripe and ready grave
 For your ripe and ready grave
 It's springtime now and cares subside
 And the plannings almost done
 And fertile graves it seems exist
 Within a mile of that Duke's joint
 Where Coast Guard crews still take their leave
 Quite listless in the sun
 And the Quicklime girl still plies her trade
 Reduction of the many from the one
 And they call her
 Quicklime girl behind her back
 Quicklime girl behind the bush
 Quicklime girl
 Well she's the mistress of the salmon salt
 Quicklime girl
 Quicklime girl they call her
 Quicklime girl
 A harvest of life a harvest of death
 Resumes its course each day
 It comes as if by schedule
 A harvester lifts his arms to the rain
 The toes that crawl
 The knees that jerk
 The necks like swans that seem to turn
 As if inclined to gasp or pray