Jim Hurst Our Old Home lyrics

In 1895 the coal mines came alive
Bringing hope to the mountain folk and their kin
They prayed every day
Blessings came their way
They saw it as the coming of a friend

But there's secrets buried deep within the mountain
According to Widow Valentine
She told me of the day
And it starts out this way
When they opened the Stevens Deep Coal Mine

It always grieved me so to think about that hole
The very place my Daddy lost his life
In veins 3 foot high they worked by carbide light
Toiled in the dark so we could heat the night

But the timbers cracked
"It's cavin', boys!"
And it all fell down upon them
And those who lived will remember for all time
Miners paid the cost
Many lives were lost
Sacrificed before the Stevens Deep Coal Mines

And now it's all so plain
They worked right through the pain

But they didn't see the coal dust in the air
On their hands and knees
Hurtin', swollen knees
How could they know that Black Lung lingered there?

Men are tools, made to use
Together robbed the treasure
Not to count the days, nor mark the time
When all the veins ran dry
They came out towards the sky
And they closed down the Stevens Deep Coal Mine

It's all been left alone
You never would have known
Except for the scars on the people and scars on the mountainside
There's nothing left to fear
And the rivers all run clear
The rattlesnakes have many a'place to hide

But there's hope that someday history will remember
What was gained at such an awful price
The only things that remain are the blood, sweat and the names
Of the workers at the Stevens Deep Coal Mines