Death & The Beautiful Lady

Your time has come
Are you ready
Are you ready
Are you ready

Are you ready to go
Oh yeah
My mind is going back
To a story a Baptist preacher told me

About death and a beautiful lady
He said there was a lady
Who was so beautiful
That everybody around town loved her

And people would come from miles around
To see her dance
People loved her so well
That she didn't even have to lock her door

People have to love you
If you don't have to lock your door
But one day while she was sitting down
In her powder room

Looking in the mirror
She began to brag
She said my I'm pretty
And while she was sitting there

Admiring her beauty
Somebody walked up
And knocked on her door
She said come on in

Whoever you are
And when the man walked in
It was a tall man
With a long cold face

And she looked at him
She said who are you
He said my name is death
And she began to cry

She said oh I'm not ready
I'm not ready
She kept on crying
She kept crying

She said I'm not ready
I don't have my business fixed
I'm not ready
Death looked at her with a smile

He said come down lady
I didn't come for you
He said I was in the neighborhood
I got old Bob that lived next door to you

That man had been sick a long time
He said but I heard so much about you
That I thought I would drop in to see you
And he looked at her

He said my lady you're pretty
She said I know it
He said everybody loves you
She said I know that too

Then death said
Well did you know one day
One day
One day

I'm gonna come back for you
She said just give me a warning
Just let me know
And then death went on his way

Way after while by and by
Father Time
Began to move in
And destroy what mother nature had created

She had to go downtown
And get some makeup
To go in the wrinkles on her face
She had to go downtown

And get some eyeglasses
She had to get some dye to go in her hair
Pray to God almighty
Then after a while

Way by and by
She began to sit down again
And look at herself
She laughed

She said I'm still pretty
I done got old now
The eyeglasses they become
The makeup

They cover the wrinkles in my face
But while she was sitting there
Somebody walked up
And knocked on her door

I heard her when she said
Come on in whoever you are
And when he walked on the inside
It was death

She said mm death
You must have been in the neighborhood
And decided to drop by to see me
He said oh no

I come for you
She began to plead with him
She said but you told me death
You were gonna let me know

Before you come back
Death began to count
And he said do you remember the time
When your eyesight got dim

Do you remember when your teeth began to decay
You had to get some false teeth
He said do you remember when you had to get some dye
To go in your hair

That was me
You know I was on my way
I was on my way
I was on my way back for you

I began to see death in my mind
As he began to talk to her
He said your time has come
Your time has come

Lady you got to leave here
He began to talk to her real soft
He said lady are you ready
Are you ready

Oh yeah
Are you ready
Are you ready
He kept on talking to her

He said lady are you ready
Are you ready
And I think about that thing right now
It make me want to ask you a person out there

Are you ready
How many of you out there
Death done already give a warning
Are you ready

How many of y'all got false teeth
How many of y'all got dye in your hair
How many of y'all got glasses off your face
How many of y'all have to have to cry all night long

Sometimes can't sleep at night
Are you ready
Don't you know that's death
Lady you know he's on his way back

He's on his way back
I want to ask you a question
Are you ready
To go

Oh yeah