West Virginia, Hold Me Near

Lyrics

[Verse 1] You can smell the rain on the blacktop road Where the creek runs cold by the sycamore I left my coat on the porch rail there And heard the train roll past the county fair [Chorus] West Virginia, hold me near From the Monongahela to the mountains clear Where the ridges roll and the rivers wind I carry your road in this heart of mine [Verse 2] At dawn the kettle starts to sing Granddad tunes up his mandolin The market wakes by the courthouse square With apple butter and a fiddle in the air [Chorus] West Virginia, hold me near From the Monongahela to the mountains clear Where the ridges roll and the rivers wind I carry your road in this heart of mine [Instrumental Break: fiddle and banjo] [Verse 3] When autumn paints the hillsides red We take the long way home instead Past cabins tucked in the laurel green And the old stone bridge where the water gleams [Chorus] West Virginia, hold me near From the Monongahela to the mountains clear Where the ridges roll and the rivers wind I carry your road in this heart of mine [Outro] West Virginia, the road runs wide But your mountains keep me on your side