I live in the cemetery, ol' caretaker they call me
In the wintertime I rake the leaves
In the summer I cut the weeds

When a funeral comes the people cry and pray
They bury their dead then they all go away
And here I work and I somehow hide
From a world that rushes by outside
But each night when I rest my head
I'm contented as the peaceful dead

But who's gonna cry when old Josh dies?
Who's gonna cry when old Josh dies?

Once I was a young man dashing with the girls
Now no one wants an old man, I lost my handsome curls

But I wanna say when my time comes
Lay me facing the rising sun
Put me in a corner where I buried my pup
Tell the preacher to pray then cover me up
Don't plant flowers where my head should be
Maybe God let some grow for me
And all the little children that I loved like my own
Will they be sorry that old Josh is gone?

But who's gonna cry when old Josh dies?
Who's gonna cry when old Josh dies?

Copyright: BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Writer(s): Johnny R. Cash