I have dark dreams of that murderous night,
I see the hammer swing and the blood run bright,
Then the sky rolls back in a blinding light and I cannot hide from the master's sight.

I don't ask to be spared the criminal's shame,
I deserve these bars and the ball and chain,
The hangman's rope and the fire's flame,
For the dark in my heart is the mark of Cain.

I had my good reasons to do the deed, for a lover's treason sews the devil's seed,
And revenge is the fire that dragon breathes,
And murder's the madness that hatred breeds.

I don't ask to be spared the criminal's shame,
I deserve these bars and the ball and chain,
The hangman's rope and the fire's flame,
For the dark in my heart is the mark of Cain.

Come this very morning when the rooster crows, only the preacher will pray for my soul,
They'll hang me high, and bury me low in a potter's field, where the cold wind blows.

I don't ask to be spared the criminal's shame,
I deserve these bars and the ball and chain,
The hangman's rope and the fire's flame,
For the dark in my heart is the mark of Cain.