The Mountain
Levon Helm
Written by Steve Earle, recorded by Helm on his album Dirt Farmer. Helm’s vocal
and the instrumentation in his cover of the song gives a sound very reminiscent of The Band.
Intro: C G Am / / / / / / / C / / / / Dm / / / F / / / G
C Em Am
I was born on this mountain a long, long time ago
F Dm F G
Before they knocked down the timber and they strip-mined all the coal
C Em Am
When they rose up in the mornin’ before it was daylight
F C Dm C
To go down in that dark hole and come back up at night
I was born on this mountain, this mountain’s my home
She holds and she keeps me from worry and woe
Well they took everything she gave, she gave and now she’s gone
But I’ll die on this mountain, this mountain’s my home
I was young on this mountain, but now I am old
And I know every hollow, every cool swimmin’ hole
‘Til one night I lay down and I woke up to find
That my childhood was over; I went back down in the mine
There’s a hole in this mountain, it’s dark and it’s deep
And God only knows all the secrets that it keeps
There’s a chill in the air only miners can feel
There’s ghosts in the tunnels that the company sealed.