Black Waters

I come from the mountains
Kentucky's my home
Where the wild deer and black
Bear so lately did roam

By the cool rushing waterfall
The wildflowers dream
And through every green valley
There runs a clear stream
Now there's scenes of destruction
On every hand and only black waters run
Down through my land

Sad scenes of destruction on every hand

Black waters, black waters
Run down through my land

Well, the quail
She's a pretty bird and she
Sings a sweet tongue
In the roots of tall timber
She nests with her young
But the hillside explodes with
The dynamites roar
And the voices of small birds
Were sounding no more

And the mountain comes a sliding
So awful and grand
And the flooding black waters
Rise over my land

Sad scenes of destruction on every hand
Black waters, black waters
Run down through the land

In the rising of springtime
We planted our corn
In the ending of springtime we buried our son
In the summer come a nice
Man says everything's fine
My employer just requires a way to his mine
Then they tore down my mountain
And co'ered my corn
Now the grave on the hillside
's a mile deeper down
And the man stands and talks with
His hat in his hand
While the poisonous waters rise over my land

Sad scenes of destruction on every hand
Black waters, black waters
Run down through the land

Well I ain't got no money
Not much of a home
I own my own land, but my land's not my own
But, if I had ten million
Somewheres thereabout
I would buy Perry county and
Throw them all out
And down on the banks with my bait and my can
And just watch the clear waters
Run down through my land

I come from the mountains
Kentucky's my home
Where the wild deer and black
Bear so lately did roam
By the cool rushing waterfall
The wildflowers dream
And through every green valley
There runs a clear stream
Now there's scenes of destruction
On every hand

Well, wouldn't that be just like
The old promised land?
Black waters, black waters no more in my land
Black waters, black waters no more in my land