Black Mountain Rag - Merle Travis, Joe Maphis

The first thing I remember I was on the mountain side

I couldn’t have been much more than five

Got a place in Raleigh with a brand new bride

Working in the mountain’s gonna be the death of me

Working, working Black Mountain

Working, working, working all the time

I’m gonna dig right through Black Mountain

Till I reach the other side

My daddy worked down in the mountain

Granddaddy great granddaddy too

Way back when the Winding Gulf was new

My momma told there was more

To life and grandma said just go

But mining is the only thing I know

Up in West Virginia there’s a mountain made of coal

All the folk Raleigh like to call it black gold

I was digging young, I’ll be digging when I’m old

I’m a digging fool if the truth be told

Working, working Black Mountain

Working, working, working all the time

I’m gonna dig right through Black Mountain

Till I Reach the other side

My daddy worked down in the mountain

Granddaddy great granddaddy too

Way back when the Winding Gulf was new

My momma told there was more

To life and grandma said just go

But mining is the only thing I know

Look out for the cave in, listen for the crack

If a boulder rolls you, gonna break your back

One day I was leaving here, walking in the mud

Next day I was back: got mining in the blood

Working, working Black Mountain

Working, working, working all the time

I’m gonna dig right through Black Mountain

Till I Reach the other side

My daddy worked down in the mountain

Granddaddy great granddaddy too

Way back when the Winding Gulf was new

My momma told there was more

To life and grandma said just go

But mining is the only thing I know