Black Waters

[Verse 1] I come from the mountains, Kentucky's my home Where the wild deer and the 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 water runs down through my land [Chorus] Sad scenes of destruction on every hand Black waters, black waters run down through my land [Verse 2] Oh the quail, she's a pretty bird, she sings a sweet tongue In the roots of tall timber she nests with her young Then the hillside explodes with the dynamite's roar And the voice of the small bird is heard there no more Then the mountain comes tumbling so awful and grand As the poison black waters run down through my land [Chorus] Sad scenes of destruction on every hand Black waters, black waters run down through my land [Verse 3] In the coming of the springtime we planted our corn In the ending of the springtime we buried a son In the summer come a nice man, says everything's fine My employer just requires a way to his mine Then he blew down the timber and covered my corn And the grave on the hillside's a mile deeper down And the man stands and talks with his hat in his hand As the poison black waters rise over my land [Chorus] Sad scenes of destruction on every hand Black waters, black waters run down through my land [Verse 4] Now I don't have much money, not much of a home I own my own land, but my land's not my own But if I had ten million, somewhere's thereabouts I'd buy Perry County and I'd drive 'em all out Then I'd sit on the bank with my bait and my can And watch the clear waters run down through my land [Chorus] Oh, 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