Old man Silas was a good man; they called him the lumberjack.
He lived down by the river in a run down two room shack.
You could tell by the way he combed his hair, he was proud as proud could be,
But the old man named Silas was blind as blind could be.

As a young man, Old Silas could fell the tallest tree
And whup the damnest lot of men o'er the likes of Katie Lee.
But one day when his back was turned, Old Silas found an axe.
Mean Bill had struck Old Silas and that's the day the lights went out.

Chorus:
Silas, Old Silas won't you play a tune for me? Pick and grin and sing those songs; it lights up the world, you see. Grab up your sweet old violin,  I know it's what you want to do. Please, oh please Old Silas, won't you play a tune for me?

They carried big Old Silas down to the Crater's Pass
And laid his lifeless body upon a pine tree crest.
Mean Bill had never meant to hurt Old Silas, his dear friend
And cried Dear Lord please save him and forgive my
dreadful sin.

Well, Old Silas was spared of dying on that mount.
Mean Bill had promised to take care of Silas for his lot.
But then one day the Maker came and took Mean Bill away,
He left poor old blind Silas, alone to play Miss Katie Lee.

Yes, thirty some odd years had passed, Mean Bill had kept his word.
To this day, Old Silas still walks the river's dirt.
You can find him there, sittin' alone in his run down two room shack.
Playin' his fiddle, waitin' to die and lovin' his Katie Lee.

Chorus:
Silas, big old Silas, play me a tune on the Katie Lee.
Please, oh please Big Silas it will ease my misery.
Silas, big old Silas, pick up Miss Katie Lee and play those tunes I long to hear, it means the world to me.