Lyrics

FAMILY HISTORY

My Grampa died from a slate fall in a coal mine
My father lost his Dad when he was only three
My Gramma had to struggle in a coal camp
To feed and clothe her children and raise a family

| So for me the coal mine wars aren't an old story
| They're part of my family history
| The abandoned mines and camps of West Virginia
| Still teach the sins of greed and property
| The coal is burned and the money never came here
| But the struggle and the sorrow still live in memory

Gramma sang songs of sorrow and defiance
The stories of the hard times
Still echo through my mind
My parents taught me hard work should be honored
The lessons of my youth came from
The West Virginia mines

Chorus

Instrumental

I travelled back to see the silent valleys
Where once the miners lived
And sang of a better life when you die
I could feel my Grampa's spirit all around me
As I stood by his unkept grave
On the lonely mountainside

Chorus