1. |
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A lot of folks think that West Virginia is the west side of Virginia
And that’s not correct
no, it’s its own state
No, that’s not correct
See...in the civil war
There was one big Virginia
And the East joined up to fight with the South
But the West wanted out to fight with the North
So they made their own state
A whole other state
Now I grew up in West Virginia and my Pop worked at
The coal-burning power plant where they burn the coal
That you always hear about when West virginia comes up
In politics
Now I was a boy in West Virginia with a pick up truck
And a little bit of land and farmers tan and a river where I swam
Now I’m all growed up and I moved away
But I visit when I can
Signing La-La-La, down in West Virginia
With the golden trout and the rhododendron
And the old black bear, and the sweet fresh air
Where it’s wild and wonderful
Signing La-La-La, down in West Virginia
Where it’s wild and wonderful
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2. |
Round Bale Wrastlin'
03:41
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Round Bale Wrastlin’:
We wrastle on the round bales piled three bales high
If you fall from the top row you are definitely going to die
It’s a total melee ‘til your little brother cries
We wrastle on the round bales piled three bales high
I don’t know why
It just feels good to me
I don’t know why
We wrastle in the square bales in your step dad’s barn
We hollow out a UFC-style hay bale octagon
I try to drop an elbow and I almost break my arm
We wrastle in the square bales in your step dad’s barn
I don’t know why
It just feels good to me
I don’t know why
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3. |
Meemaw
02:47
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Meemaw warshed away in the ‘85 flood
Peepaw couldn’t carry on without her love
He jumped into the river and he never came up
Cause Meemaw warshed away in the ‘85 flood
The rooster sleeps in when the sun comes up
The pigs won’t roll around now in the mud
The cows won’t moo and the chickens won’t cluck
Cause Meemaw warshed away in the ‘85 flood
They ain't no pie on the windowsill
The front porch swing just sits there, still
The piano keys are all covered in dust
Cause Meemaw warshed away in the ‘85 flood
The garden’s only growing weeds
The fruit just rots now on the trees
A opossum moved into the attic
And a squirrel lives in the truck
Cause Meemaw warshed away in the ‘85 flood
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4. |
Morgan Morgan
01:34
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West Virginia was founded by a man
A man whose name was Morgan Morgan
Yes, you heard me right but I’ll say it twice
That man’s name was Morgan Morgan
That always made me laugh in
West Virginia history class
When the teacher said
“His name was Morgan Morgan”
Like were his parents just that lazy?
Or did the history books mess up?
I found it hard to believe his name was
Morgan Morgan
But when you’re in Morgantown
Or you’re Morgan county bound
Just remember, this land was founded
By a man whose name was Morgan Morgan
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5. |
Son of a Preacher Man
03:16
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Now I was the son of a preacher man
We had a little church by the river side
And up against the river rock was piled high
To keep the flood waters from comin’ in
And on those rocks we would jump and play
When church let out every Sunday
But the river snakes like to lay on them
So you had to watch out so you didn’t get bit
And on Easter Sunday it was hot inside
The old church didn’t have air conditioning
So we opened up the door to let the cool breeze in
And as Daddy gave the easter sermon
A 10-foot snake come slitherin’ in
Right down the aisle with the women and men
To be a member of the congregation
My momma jumped and my sister screamed
And Daddy said something that you wouldn’t believe
He said “That old devil snake has GOT to leave…
One way or another if you know what I mean”
But the old man, Clarence, who was 86
Picked up a raggedy broom stick and
With a gentle hand, he swept that snake outside
And none of us knew what this could have meant
What had the snake come in there for?
Was it God or the devil? Did he wanna get saved?
Or just cool his belly on the wooden floor?
Well I don’t know even to this day
But anytime I see a river snake
I think of those people down at the little church
And all the other things the river washed away
Singing Glory Glory Hallelujah
Glory Glory Hallelujah
Glory Glory Hallelujah
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6. |
Teacher Strike
02:28
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(Mountain dew and can of Skoal, get that pepperoni roll)
Well Monday come but the bus never showed
Radio was saying that the school was closed
We drove into town and there standing in a line
Was all the school teachers holding picket signs
I didn’t know it was important, I just thought it was cool
Cause me and all the kids didn’t have to go to school
It seemed like fun at the time
It was the 1990 West Virginia teachers strike
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7. |
Mothman
01:19
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I get cleaned up, you wear your special dress
And we head down to that secret place
We kissed when we first met
And I get down on one knee
And I pull out from my pocket
Your grandma’s diamond ring
And I’m about to ask those four words
You’ve been wanting me to say
And then the mothman comes
Rips off both our skin
And flys away
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8. |
Epilogue: Oh the Hills
02:35
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Well little partners, I reckon that about wraps up this here West Virginia album
I feel like we gave ol’ Sufjan hell but it was all in good fun and hopeful he’s not too ticked off about it. If you’re a fellow West Virginian I hope you enjoyed hearing these tunes. Some of them were just a goof and some of them were as serious as a heart attack but either way I sure did enjoy writing them and singing them for you on this here record. If you’re one of the less fortunate who grew up somewhere less wild and less wonderful well...my sincere condolences to you. But I’m here to tell you, even if you can’t visit these old hills in the flesh, it’s not too late for you.
It’s a state of mind or a feeling you just feel somewhere deep inside your heart
Any time you stop and pat an old dog nice and slow you are there
Or when you catch a whiff of the sweet autumn leaves in the evening air
Any time you help your neighbor jump-start their car or you
Catch lightning bug in an old dusty mason jar
Any time you work so hard your supper tastes extra good
Or you help your Peepaw haul a load of firewood
No, We can’t all be west Virginians but we all need somewhere
We can sit and listen to the peepers after dark
So do not dismay if you live too far away
There’s a West Virginia tucked inside your heart
(Oh the hills, beautiful hills, how I love the West Virginia Hills. If by sea or land I roam, still I think of happy home and my friends amongst the West Virginia hills)
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Mr. Husband Baltimore, Maryland
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