Ghost Town
(C.W. McCall, Bill Fries, Chip Davis)

In the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, there are reminders of the boomtowns of yesterday, of the miners who sought their fortunes in the silver and gold mines. Many buildings in these now-deserted towns are still standing, even if only barely.

The dance hall is silent and empty
The banjos don’t play anymore
The music is only a mem’ry
And the dancing is dust…on the floor

Wild flowers cover the ground now
The timbers are streaking with gray
The palace is tumbling down now
And the dancers have all....gone away

But once there was singing
And once there was song
And once there was silver and gold

The tombstones are weathered and broken
But the last signs of life are still here
The laboros of love have been stolen
But the gold was the last souvenir

But once there was laughter
And once there was life
And once there was silver and gold

The dance hall is silent and empty
The banjos don’t play any more…

These are the lyrics as they’re printed on the album cover, with one difference: the printed lyrics are displayed in ALL UPPERCASE letters. Read the lyrics as transcribed from the album.

“Ghost Town” was rerecorded for the album The Real McCall: An American Storyteller.

The original “Ghost Town” does not appear on any C.W. McCall audio CD.