The Devil to Pay Lyrics

[July 1st, 1863]
In July, eighteen sixty-three
A nation torn in tragedy
A trick of fate, two great armies merge
Gods of war at Gettysburg

Devastation lies ahead
Fifty thousand bodies litter the land
Hell rages three full days
The Reaper sows
And there's a devil to pay!

The pressure's on and the Reb's attack
The yanks must hold, they can't fall back
Just two brigades, two thousand strong
Against twenty thousand they can't hold long

General Reynolds makes his way
Expect no mercy from the iron brigade
Until he shows they're on their own
But Buford's men have a will of stone

Bayonets gleam in the morning sun
Smoke and fire belching from their guns
Another volley and again they strike
Thousands more coming down Chambersburg Pike

(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay
(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay

South of town down the Emmitsburg Road
The first corps are starting to show
For Buford's men they're here just in time
The desperate need to strengthen their line

Bodies dropping, the blue and the grey
Muskets fire and cannons blaze
The Union fights, defending the town
But they're outnumbered and losing ground

From the north and the west more rebels arrive
Thousands more and the fight multiplies
McPherson Ridge and the black hats strike
A rebel sharpshooter takes Reynolds's life

(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay
(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay

Attack, attack! General Lee gives command
They're overwhelmed, the situation demands
The federals retreat and rush out of town
But they are fortified and saved the high ground

Day ends in victory for the south
Lee's as convinced as God's will is profound
They are invincible and their cause is just
But Longstreet is cautious and lacking in trust

Across the way the Union digs in
The round tops, Cemetery Ridge and out to Culp's Hill
The lines are strong, no denying they'll stay
When the confederates strike there'll be the devil to pay

(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay
(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay
(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay
(This tragedy and what it brings)
(All the devastation)
The Reaper has his way
(Men will kill, blood will spill)
(To preserve the nation)
There's the devil to pay