I know this dress I'm wearing Doesn't hide the secret I have tried concealing When he left he promised me That he'd be back by the time it was revealing.
The sun behind a cloud just casts The crawling shadow o'er the fields of clover And time is running out for me I wish that he would hurry down from Dover.
He's been gone so long When he left the snow was deep upon the ground And I have seen a spring and summer pass And now the leaves are turning brown.
And any time a tiny face will show itself 'Cause waiting's almost over But I won't have a name to give it If he doesn't hurry down from Dover.
My parents didn't understanding When they found out they sent me from the home place My daddy said if folks found out He would be ashamed to ever show his face.
My mother said I was a fool And she did not believe me when I told her But everything would be all right 'Cause soon he would be coming down from Dover.
I loved him more than anything And I could not refuse him when he needed me He was the only man I'd loved And I just can't believe that he was using me.
He couldn't leave me here like this I know it can't be so, it can't be over He wouldn't make me go through this so long He'll be coming down from Dover.
My body aches the time is here It's lonely in this place where I'm lying Our baby has been born but something's wrong It's much too still I hear no crying.
I guess in some strange way she knew She'd never have a daddy's arms to hold her And dying was her way of telling me He wasn't coming down from Dover...