I know this dress I'm wearing doesn't hide the secret I have tried concealing,
When he left he promised me that he'd be back by the time it was revealing,
The sun behind a cloud just casts the crawling shadow o'er the fields of clover,
And time is running out for me I wish that he would hurry down from Dover.
He's been gone so long when he left the snow was deep upon the ground,
And I have seen a spring and summer pass and now the leaves are turning brown,
And any time a tiny face will show itself 'cause waiting's almost over,
But I won't have a name to give it if he doesn't hurry down from Dover,
From Dover, from Dover.
My folks weren't understanding when they found out they sent me from the home place,
My daddy said if folks found out he'd be ashamed to ever show his face,
My mamma said I was a fool and she did not believe it when I told her,
"Mamma everythings gonna be alright, soon he will coming down from Dover."
I found a place to stay out on a farm takin' care of that old lady,
She never asked me nothin' so I never talked to her about my baby,
I sent a message to my mom with a name and address of Ms. Ol' Grover,
And to make sure he got that information when he came down from Dover.
I loved him more than anything and I could not refuse him when he needed me,
He was the only one I'd loved and I just can't believe that he was usin' me,
He wouldn't leave me here like this, I know it can't be so, it can't be over,
He wouldn't make me go through this alone, he'll be coming down from Dover.
My body aches the time is here it's lonely in this place where I'm lying,
Our baby has been born, but something's wrong, it's too still, I hear no crying,
I guess in some strange way she knew she'd never have a father's arms to hold her,
So dying was her way of tellin' me he wasn't coming down from Dover,
From Dover, from Dover,
Down from Dover.