
Recorded at the Dian-Lee Bed & Breakfast in Bluefield, WV on October 2, 2008. Recorded by Steve Date. This song will be in Steve's movie he is making about Coalwood, West Virginia. The vocals are hard to hear, so I have included the lyrics below: The River Ran Black Born in West Virginia down where the old Tug River flows Raised in McDowell County back in the day when the king was Coal That day is gone and lost forever, it aint never comin back How I long for the days of my childhood Back in the day when the river ran black with coal The sky was blue, but the river ran black Way down in a Premier coal mine my daddy crawled on his hands and knees Tryin to make a dollar, he did it all for my mom and me But it put my dad in an early grave, boys, my daddys gone now and he cant come back Lord, how I long for the days of my childhood Back in the day when the river ran black with coal The sky was blue, but the river ran black (BRIDGE) Times were hard but the Good Lord saw us through Every situation we got in We never did go hungry lawd we never did without And if I could Id do it all again Years have come and gone now and Im still here where it all began Tryin to make a dollar the way my daddy did way back then Cause theres just something about these mountains that keeps a good man comin back Lookin for the days of his childhood Back in the day when the river ran black with coal The sky was blue but the river ran black By Alan Johnston © 2002
Welch
wv
war
caretta
coal
mcdowell
county
cathead
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