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The Man He Was Lyrics by Emitt Rhodes

The American Dream

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[Verse 1]
In a village in the woods, they plant a tree for every newborn babe
So they sowed the seed for a child named John and they watched it day by day
The tree, it grew in a very strange way, as twisted as a knot
And the child, he grew in the very same way and never would his parents have thought
[Verse 2]
The lad was bright and he learned to read as well as he could talk
But his limbs were as twisted as the tree and never would he walk
People would come to stop and stare and you could hear them say
"It doesn't seem to me to be quite fair," and then be on their way
[Chorus 1]
Sing a song of joy, lift your hearts in song
For a newborn boy, for a life that's long
For a life that's long
[Verse 3]
Now he loved the tree even though it was as twisted as himself
For somewhere deep inside his soul, he thought of nothing else
And the boy he grew, did the best he can, but his limbs remained the same
Well, whoever listens who will understand someone who is lame
[Verse 4]
Some came to cry, some came to laugh the day he passed away
He's really not dead, he's just taking a nap, I heard somebody say
I can't explain, but the tree had died, it withered without love
But a stump remains to remind you of the man that he was
[Chorus 2]
Sing a song of death, sing a song of peace
Sing a song of rest and a song of relief
Till the end of time
Till the end of time
Till the end of time
Credits
Emitt Rhodes

Emitt Rhodes

About “The Man He Was” by Emitt Rhodes

Read the complete lyrics to "The Man He Was" by Emitt Rhodes from the album "The American Dream". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"The Man He Was" is performed by Emitt Rhodes. from the album "The American Dream" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Man He Was", explore more songs by Emitt Rhodes using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Man He Was" is credited to Emitt Rhodes. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Man He Was" appears on "The American Dream".

Visit the Emitt Rhodes artist page at /artist/emitt-rhodes for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.