Wrong Black Mare - Brown Bird

Lyrics:
Mama's little baby won't hush down
She's spookin' all the hens and the old milk cow
Rest your head in the cradle now
Ain't no one gonna hear a sound
Daddy laid it all on the wrong black mare
Hopped the next train to God knows where
But God don't go where your daddy's gone
Where the cowards and the fools belong
Mama waited up on the porch all night
Waited up 'til the morning light
She fed those hens and she milked that cow
Then she got behind the old man's plow
And late last night a bad man came
Screamin' curses at your daddy's name
You woke screamin' to a frightening sound
And your mama laying on the ground
A bad man running down the back door stairs
Blame it all on the wrong black mare
Mama's little baby won't hush down
She's spookin' all the hens and the old milk cow
Rest your head in the cradle now
Ain't no one gonna hear a sound

[@Dabeyoun]

The first time I listened, I didn't pay attention to the lyrics. it sounded good, so in due respect, I decided to listen it once again, now with full attention.
Holy shit, that's dark.

[@tonithewolfe]

This is one of my most favorite songs. Never fails to choke me up a little.

[@rickpencille6588]

Unreal how awsome the lyrics on this song are. Loved Brown Bird since I first heard them many years ago.

[@autumnfatale]

Love this song, such a great, sad story, makes me oddly emotional everytime I hear it. Really wish I could have heard them live
RIP

[@seannolastfuqingname7308]

I sang this song to my australorp chicken and she fell asleep to it.
Just figured you should know, turns out it's pretty soothing,

[@Torcatt]

Dark very dark ! Thx for those great songs!!

[@PunchKickLipstick]

This is a great song for working out because the beat is just right for slow squats and the lyrics are dark enough to remind me that there are things worse than slow squats

[@dracolich7717]

this is the best comment

[@kevinnulph]

Haunting.... Love it!

[@keithhinesproduction]

very dark haunting

[@ryanspurlock5374]

poor lil feller mmmhmmm

[@zakkwallis5239]

Ryan Spurlock Some call it a slingblade... Mmmmmhmm

[@PrideAssass1n]

Society in a nutshell.

[@waywardbulbasaur658]

Im having a hard time figuring out the meaning of this song. Can someone help?
EDIT: I understand the meaning now. Thanks for your responses :)

[@MH-gy6qv]

+DogZeCat It's pretty dark.
The father bet all his money on the horse race (the wrong black mare), lost the bet so he skipped town. The people he owed money to sent a collector to get the money he owed. He wasn't home and his wife had no clue where the father was, so the bad man killed her and ran off. And the chorus is about the baby crying in the crib up stairs, but no one is around because the mother is dead and the father ran off. You are left to believe the baby will suffer the same fate as her mother, as there is no one to hear her cries.

[@waywardbulbasaur658]

O, dang. That's really dark, but a fantastic song. Thanks for explaining!

[@IronShire]

+Maxim Hummer wow, cheers for that! all these years and i never knew the meaning. such a good song.

[@Neckepo]

I thing the father killed himself, with the train. "But God don't go where your daddy's gone
Where the cowards and the fools belong"

[@charlieconlin174]

He laid is bet on the wrong horse, owed people money and skipped town. Ran and didn't face his consequences and left it fo his wife to pay for the punishment, a coward.