A mist halos the meadow and a soft wind   breathes a whisper through the trees   As i lean against a hickory I close my eyes and I can almost see   The ghostly forms of blue and gray   And I can almost hear the cannons blast   Standin' in the prescence of the past      The first few waves came cheerin'   Fear and hatred runnin' through their blood   When the day was finally over   Those left wadin' through a crimson flood   To think I could be right here   In the spot where some young soldier breathed his last   Standin' in the prescence of the past      Brother fightin' brother   Father fightin' son   By the time the sun was settin'   Looked like the South had won   Now my mouth's as dry as cotton   And my heart is beatin' fast   Standin' in the prescence of the past      Sunrise caught the rebels sleepin' and they woke    To hear a Yankee bugle blow   Bullets flew like angry hornets   Till the peach tree blossoms drifted down like snow   It must have been like hell on earth   What happened here is more than we can grasp   Standin' in the prescence of the past      Brother fightin' brother   Father fightin' son   By the time the smoke had lifted   They knew the North had won   Lord my soul feels empty   As my tears fall on this grass   Standin' in the prescence of the past      Brother killin' brother   Father slayin' son   From the looks of this old graveyard   Hell nobody really won   Somethin's changed inside me   It sure can happen fast   Standin' in the prescence of the past      A mist halos the meadow and a soft wind   Breathes a whisper through the trees