My great great great grandfather
Died down in a coal mine
Up in a holler
That now bears his name
And the shadow of that mountain
Before the dawn has crest
Lands on my kinfolks
Who've been laid to rest
Now wherever I go
Wherever I am
For better or worse
I am tethered to that land

Now I got friends that ask me
"When are you coming home?"
But I escaped the event horizon
And the pull of that black hole
Lord I miss my friends
And you know I miss the hills
But I can't even drive through without
Thinking about mama popping pills
In a soma coma
On a worn out couch
In a rundown trailer
On the outskirts of town

The heat and the tornadoes
The bible-thumping hypocrites
Suicides and tragedies
And mama's mean, drunk friends
What should I come back for?
Who and what would greet me there?
Back-breaking jobs for low wage
Red leaning folks who think that's fair?

I ain't a sheep to be sheared
I don't exist just to pay bills
And funnel money to the 1%
Who couldn't care less if I get killed
I won't be part of the pattern
Of history repeating in rhymes
I won't be part and parcel
To a culture turning big blind eyes

My great great great grandfather
Died down in their coal mine
Up in McKay hollow
He doesn't want me doing the same