It was the time of the preacher when the story began Of the choice of a lady, the love of a man How he loved her so dearly, he went out of his mind When she left him for someone she'd left behind And he cried like a baby He screamed like a panther in the middle of the night And he saddled his pony And he went for a ride It was the time of the preacher in the year of '01 Now the preaching is over and the lesson's begun